Rising Renegades
by Xx13deathsxX
Summary: Prowl is thrown into war and more than he had expected back on his days during Kamino. With droids, hostile creatures, and lightsaber happy sith, who or what in the galaxy isn't trying to put him in the ground? From Geonosis to order 66, one way or another he is surviving this war. Short summary but I hope you like it.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's notes**

**Hello readers and potential fans, this is my second time writing fanfiction and I'm a huge star wars fan so I figured why not write a star wars story**. **The setting will take place before Geonosis during Star Wars episode II and the switch over to star wars the clone wars. Hope you like it :).**

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Tippoca city, Kamino

-2 days before battle of Geonosis-

It had finally stopped raining. Kamino wasn't much to look at when the entire planet was under a tempest, a world full of gray and black. But when the rain stopped, it was beautiful. The deep blue waters filling the entire landscape with a jumbled mess of white and gray clouds filling the light peach sky. The sun itself peeped around the clouds and its rays would would race down to the water. 'If only I could stay and enjoy the view' I thought to myself sadly.

"CT-7562!" A voice exclaimed.

I turned around to see my CO and old friend jogging towards me. CT-7567, captain of my platoon, was wearing his phase I standard ivory armor with maroon detailing on the armor identifying his rank. His helmet in the crook of his left arm, a single maroon line going straight down the middle. His face was full of life and optimism, his eyes chocolate and his short hair blonde. Although his hair style was different from mine, we were the same person and yet two different stood in front of me and clasped my shoulder, a wide smile plastered on his face.

"I've been looking everywhere for you '62, we have a simulation battle in ten minutes. We're going up against Sigma platoon" He explained while taking his hand off my shoulder.

"Then why the excitement, will just mop the floor with them?" I asked sarcastically while smiling.

"Cause Alpha-17 will be watching and rumor is that he is looking for potential Arc recruits!" He exclaimed while throwing his free arm up to the air. Hearing this made my eyes widen and left my mouth agape.

"This must be big then! Hold up I'll get my armor and gear, where is sim going to take place?!" I asked while running towards where our bunks were located.

"Sim bay E3!" He shouted, his voice fading into the distance.

-5 minutes later-

By the time I had arrived at the sim bay, both platoons were almost ready for the sim. Both platoons had 30 men in each divided into 5 squads and led by either a captain or sergeant. The field was a large area with dark grey flooring with white details, small hill tops and cover. Platoons would always start off on either the east or west side, there was a sign saying my platoon was on the west side of the field. I walked towards my platoon,vCT-7567 was standing in front of the men discussing tactics.

When he saw me, he ordered the men into position, then he and another soldier walked towards me. The other soldier was CT-7564 or Denal as he liked to be called. He was wearing the same phase I white armor as '67 but his was completely white. His helmet was already on and a DC-15s in his hands with barrel pointed towards the ground. '67 was also wearing his red helmet and he had a DC-15s.

"Glad you could make it '62, nice gear" Denal stated while looking at me.

My armor itself was the same as his except for a burgundy line going down from left shoulder all the way to my hand and my left and right leg armor were completely red. There was also a maroon crosshair off to the right side of my helmet. My armor colors were to identify troopers who were snipers. I was armed with a DC-15x and had a small holster on my right thigh armor for a DC hand pistol.

"Thanks Denal, so '67 whats the plan?" I asked, looking at '67.

"Squads A and B will move up the middle while Squads C and D take the left and right flank . We and the rest of Squad E will move around the field and help as we see fit. Any questions?" '67 asked both of us calmly, his excited demeanor had changed.

Usually during sims CT-7567 would change from a outgoing and friendly trooper to an all serious captain. But despite that I could see a hint of excitement in his eyes. Before I could say anything the comm crackled into life.

"Platoons, this is Alpha Arc-17" when '17 said this, '67 nudged me and gave me a small grin.

"This sim will not only be a test of your skills for each and everyone of you but also to see who has what it takes to potentially become Arc troopers" '17 explained.

Suddenly the floor light up red, slowly it started to change to yellow. Everyone knew that the sim was about to start, all troops from our platoons got into position by the time the color was green. Then a siren went off indicating the match had started.

Each Squad went off in the direction they were supposed to. As soon as Squads A and B moved forward they came under heavy fire. Two soldiers dropped immediately while the rest ran to cover.

"Squad C move to support A and B" '67 shouted.

Squad C moved to a small plateau on the left flank. Immediately they began to fire at the enemy but they were too far away to see from here. I aimed my sniper off towards where the blue bolts where coming from. About 24 troopers were taking cover in the middle, firing upon Squads A and B. C had taken out three enemy troops but then came under fire as well. I looked to where Squad D was and they were also under fire from the other platoons 5th Squad. My Squad had taken cover just behind A and B also firing down the middle.

" '67, almost the entire platoon is down the middle with the last Squad trying to take out D!" I shouted to him urgently over the sounds of blaster fire.

"Alright! '62 head over to D and help them take out that Squad, then fire on the troops in the middle, the rest of you were moving to C to get a better vantage point, move!" '67 yelled.

Squad E immediately got up and ran to the left flank while under fire. One of the troopers got hit in the leg, he collapsed to the ground but Denal grabbed him by his arm and dragged the soldier into cover. While this was going on I ran over to D, a few bolts whizzed past my head but other than that I managed to make it into cover next to D.

The sergeant of the Squad was trying to set up fields of fire but wasn't having much luck. He had lost half his men from enemy fire while him and the other two troopers were returning fire sporadically. I look down my scope to see the entire enemy Squad hadn't lost anyone and was keeping D pinned. I kept viewing through my rifle until i spotted their sergeant. His alabaster armor with emerald details made him stick out from among the rest of his team. I fired a single shot that impacted his helmet, knocking him to the ground. All the members of the enemy Squad looked down at their fallen sergeant, shocked to find their nco on the ground. Squad D quickly took the advantage and took down three more soldiers while I shot the rest. D's sergeant walked over to me while the other two troopers formed a perimeter and secured our 'fallen' soldiers.

"Thanks for the assist, did the captain give any other orders?" The sergeant asked calmly.

"The captain wants your Squad to fire on the middle, the rest of the platoon is there" I answered.

"What will you be doing?" The sergeant questioned while the rest of his Squad moved towards us.

"'67 ordered me to flank the enemy" I lied while grinning under my helmet.

The sergeant just nodded and Squad D moved toward cover and started firing towards the enemy platoon. I began to move toward where the enemy platoon started on the field. I respected '67 and loved him like a brother but sometimes he doesn't always go withe the best option. At the same time I wasn't going to take away a Squad from him just because I didn't agree with him.

Finally I was behind the enemy lines, there was multiple pieces of cover to hide behind and a couple small hills for a vantage point. I settled onto a small hill, my rifle leaning against a piece of cover while I observed the enemy platoon. About ten troopers were on the ground but the rest of them were still firing at the enemy. I checked the hud on my helmet to see that we were down to 16 troopers not including me. I aimed at the trooper that was farthest away from his comrades, I would probably be able to only get a few down before I was caught. I quickly fired into the back of a soldiers helmet, he fell forward with a slight thud. I aimed at another two soldiers and knocked out them out. I was about to take down a sergeant when a hail of sapphire blaster fire slammed into my cover. I quickly ducked down and slid off the hill into another piece of cover. I poked my head around where I was to see two troopers firing on my previous position and slowly moving forward. I took out my hand pistol and quickly snapped of a few shots, hitting the first trooper in the chest.

The second one took two bolts to his shoulder but he ducked back to cover. I slung my rifle over my back and rushed the trooper with my pistol. I jumped over the cover just when the soldier was peeking his head out. I kicked him right in his face forcing him on the ground. I fired a single shot to his forehead and dove to the ground. By now the enemy platoon should of noticed that they were losing people quickly. I crawled over to another hill closer to the enemy. I unslung my rifle and leaned against a small barricade to see the enemy captain and a sergeant moving towards where their troopers had fallen. 'Dumb move Sigma, without a captain this battle is as good as ours' I confidently thought to myself. I quickly fired two shots, both going into the chest of the captain, falling into the arms of the sergeant. I then took out my pistol and shot the leg of the sergeant, then another bolt landed on his helmet.

With these two casualties, what was left of the enemy platoon stopped firing and looked to their rear. They saw most of their platoon on the ground including the captain and an enemy sniper not too far away from them. About half of what was left of Sigma aimed their DC-15a's at me but then a torrent of blaster fire pelted Sigma. Immediately five Sigma troopers fell, the last two tried to run while firing but were also shot.

After that a siren went off, signaling the end of the of the simulation. All troopers that had gotten shot began to get off the ground, some moaning from the bolts shocking their bodies. The soldiers that got hit in the head (most were because of me) were especially groaning from the pain. All the troopers from my platoon started shouting and hollering out of joy from winning the fight. Some of Sigma were arguing with each other about who's fault it was for losing. I walked towards my platoon looking for the captain. I found him with his helmet in his hand and a sergeant talking with him. When he noticed me walking toward him, he excused himself and walked towards me. He had a small sad smile on his face but overall he did seem glad that the battle was one.

"Nice job with helping out D, their sergeant told me what you did. Why did you disobey orders?" He asked, a frown forming on his face.

I could understand why he was upset. We trusted each other to back the other up, from how he was looking at it he probably thought I betrayed him.

"I saw an opportunity and I took it, I helped the battle end quicker and I took out Sigma's captain. I knew you gave me orders but i found a better solution and I wanted to make things easier on you and the platoon" I answered sympathetically while placing my hand on his shoulder.

"Alright brother, things were easier with them sending troops to their rear while we moved forward" He answered while smiling at me.

"How many men did we lose?" I asked, concern in my voice. Even if this was just a sim, if it had been real we would have lost brothers.

"We lost half our platoon" '67 replied, his frown back on his face.

"You did your best and still managed to save the rest of the platoon" I told him comfortingly while squeezing his shoulder.

"Officer on deck!" one of the nearby troopers shouted.

Immediately all the troopers lined up in a single row, both platoons standing next to each other. In front of us was Alpha Arc-17 along with two kaminoan scientists. Arc-17's armor was phase 1 Arc trooper armor. The difference between his and ours was that his armor had a kama around his waist, a single pauldron on his left shoulder and life support backpack. His entire armor had blue details on it. 'They must of also been watching the simulation' I thought to myself. 17 immediately walked over to my platoon.

"This platoon did fairly well, managing to maintain combat effectiveness and taking down the enemy. The captain coordinated and adapted to the situation around him very well and did his best to keep his men alive" the Arc explained while gesturing towards '67. '67 nodded to this as A-17 continued.

"The only problem that showed was when your platoon sniper went off on his own and I doubt he was ordered to. CT-7562 step forward" the Arc trooper ordered.

I stepped out of line, walking toward 17 and standing in front of him at attention.

"Tell me soldier, why did you go off on your own?" 17 questioned, his tone condescending. Even though it seemed he was angry it felt like there was more to it.

"I found an opportunity to take more enemy than I could of originally if I were to follow my orders sir. I wanted to protect my brothers" I answered calmly feeling confident in my answer.

"Thats not the answer I'm looking for _trooper_" 17 growled at me.

"Sir?" I asked him, confusion drenching my voice. There had to be something I wasn't looking at.

"Turn around" the Arc trooper stated calmly. I turned around and was facing my platoon. He

stood right next to me looking at the troops as well.

"Tell me what you see" he said quietly.

"Um, my platoon sir?" I said, still confused as to what he was trying to show me.

He grabbed me roughly by the helmet and made sure I was looking at the troopers in front of me.

"Who is your platoon?!" He shouted at me angrily.

I started thinking really hard on what he was trying to get me to see. The people in my squad were '67, Denal, and the other members of my platoon. I didn't know the rest of my platoon that well but they were still my brothers. Then it hit me.

"My brothers sir" I answered him calmly, more confidence in my voice than the last time.

The Arc trooper let go of my helmet and gestured to my platoon.

"That is your family trooper, your brothers. Its already going to be hard enough watching them die around you, but how would you feel if you couldn't be with them during their last moments? How do you think they would feel if they weren't with you before you died? To do that to them is selfish trooper get that through your head" he said sternly.

My head slightly lowered at hearing these words. I had never thought about it like that and I felt like I had let them down.

"However" A-17 said, my head raising up to look at him.

"Your reasons behind your actions are just and you had your brothers in mind. You do have what it takes to be an Arc, you easily know when to move and when to wait. When to attack and when to retreat. You even have the ability to sneak around, if you didn't have a nickname I'd call you prowl". I blinked when he said that name, I didn't have a nickname and that name sounded like it fit. "but you still have a ways to go. Look to your captain" my eyes widen slightly when he said I had potential to be an Arc but they grew bigger when he mentioned '67.

"He is a fine example of an Arc trooper, he cares for his brothers and will fight beside them rather than stay in the rear. All he needs is experience in actual combat. So follow his example and you will make Arc trooper. That goes to the rest of you as well, am i understood?" He asked to the rest of my platoon.

"Yes sir!" Everyone shouted earnestly.

"Alright, you are dismissed" 17 ordered.

My platoon got out of attention and began to walk out of the sim room, Denal and '67 slowed down long enough for me to catch up. I glanced over my shoulder to see Alpha talking to Sigma. 'Probably about how to be better at aiming and coordination' I thought to myself smugly. Even if we were all brothers I still liked to be better than most, plus Sigma would always try to compete with my platoon.

"So what do you think of what 17 said?" '67 asked curiously, his question snapping me out of my thoughts.

"I think I should take what he said to heart, but if going solo means you and the rest of my brothers then I would do it again and again. And I kinda like the name Prowl" I said to him while smirking.

Denal smacked in the back of my head and looked at me like I was crazy.

"Are you nuts?! What about being an Arc trooper?" He exclaimed in shock.

"Who cares, I want to be an Arc but I want my brothers around to see me become an Arc" I stated, annoyed for him hitting me.

Just like him and every other clone, I wanted to be the best and that would mean being Arc trooper. But at the same time I didn't mind being a grunt as long as I had my brothers.

"Pff, whatever 'Prowl'. All I need to know is that I'm going to be Arc trooper before both of you" he retorted cockily.

"And notice how 17 didn't mention you about being an Arc" I said innocently with a small smile on my face while '67 started to laugh.

Denal said nothing but growled at me while lightly pushing me. I pushed him back a little harder and ran past both him and '67.

"First one to the barracks is an Arc trooper!" I called to them while laughing. It only took half a second before both of them were desperately trying to catch up, calling out playful banter to each other and to myself.

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-2 days later, 5 hours before invasion of Geonosis

Excitement. Apprehension. Fear. That's what everyone was feeling right now. Word was just announced over the intercom system around the city, telling everyone that we would be deployed in a few hours and were to report to hangar C. After that it was like mad dash for everyone to get their gear and run to the hangar. Right now my platoon, along with the rest of our unit was in the hangar about to load on a large ship. They said it was an acclamator-class ship and we would deploy from it.

In my opinion, the ship was just ugly. It pretty much had the design of a large grey arrow head. The only decent thing about it was that it could carry a lot of troops and equipment into battle. The only reason why we were about to load on the ship was because we would be in the first wave on some planet, geo-something I think it was. All the clones around me including myself were fully armored and had their weapons with them. An assortment of DC-15a's, DC-15s's, DC-15x's, and rocket launchers.

Right now vehicles and equipment were being loaded onto the ship. Our giant six-legged walkers were slowly lumbering onto the loading ramp while gunships would fly through the ship's hangar. On a small balcony in the hangar we were in was Lama su and Alpha-17. Lama su had an observant look on his face while Alpha's face was emotionless, his arms crossed over his chest. All the clones were lined up in parade formation, '67 at the front of the formation since he was a captain and Denal was to the right of me. I saw Alpha step forward on the balcony to a small microphone, when he cleared his voice it could be heard across the entire hangar.

"Congratulation brothers. You completed training and are now marching off to defend freedom and the Republic. Look to the Jedi for guidance and leadership and you will not fail. Look to your brothers, for they will bring the best in you and the will to survive no matter what and I promise you that not only will you not fail but you will win this war! Am I understood!" He shouted into the microphone, his voice full of pride.

"**YES SIR!" **All the clones and I roared in unison, determination being the only feeling emotion in our voices.

"Good! Now move out!" Alpha yelled.

And with that we marched towards the assault ship, ready to face whatever the galaxy threw at us.


	2. Chapter 2

**Authors Note: sorry I havent uploaded in a while, been busy. Hope I can make up for it by having a longer chapter**

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**Chapter 2**

**-Aboard acclamator ship, 1 hour before invasion-**

As soon as we had gotten aboard the assault ship we were assigned bunks. Each room had about four bunks, so I was in a room with Denal and two other clones from a different unit. 7562 was given a bunk with other captains and commanding officers. I had left my room to head over to the mess hall, I hadn't eaten since we left Kamino.

"Prowl!" I heard Denal call out.

I turned around to see Denal running over to me. He was in armor but didn't have his helmet on. He had the same face as I did but he only had two rows of hair on his head, the rest was cut off. When he had finally caught up he was leaning forward, trying to catch his breath.

"You know for someone who isn't running you get around pretty fast" Denal said through his panting.

"Well since I will be an arc trooper, naturally I'm faster than you" I said smugly. Denal just pushed me and I pushed him back.

"So how do you think things will be once we get troops on the ground?" Denal asked curiously?

"Not sure, rumor is that we are going to capture the planet but others think it's a rescue mission" I answered him coolly.

I had also wondered what was really going to happen but didn't really care for rumors. Rumors were only made by people who didn't know the real situation and were going off speculation. Even the people who meant no harm make rumors, but rumors in war did nothing but cause men to focus on everything thats not right in front of them.

"You should ignore whatever anyone says unless it's the truth, just focus on getting ready for the fight alright Denal?" I told him in a serious tone. He had a surprised expression on his face but then he just smirked and shook his head.

"Geez since when did you get so serious Prowl?" He asked jokingly.

'It's already going to be hard watching your brothers die around you' Alpha's words came into my head.

"I just don't want to see my brothers die.." I said quietly, looking away from Denal. Denal placed his hand on my shoulder and had a serious look on his face.

"This is a war Prowl, we are bound to lose brothers. But with you pretending to be an Arc trooper I think we will be fine" He said while smiling.

I smiled back and pushed his hand off my shoulder. Finally we had arrived at the mess hall. It was almost filled, every table had some form of trooper eating except for commanding officers. Denal and I grabbed are food then sat down with other troopers from our platoon. We started joking and throwing friendly insults at each other for what seemed like hours. The stress from thinking about the war was nonexistent in the mess hall, everyone was relaxing and enjoying the peace while it lasted. Suddenly the intercom system went off.

"Platoons Alpha through Delta report to hangar bay, all other platoons remain on standby" a crew member ordered.

Several troopers groaned from this including Denal and I. Our platoon was included, most likely meaning we would be in the first wave. All troops in the designated platoons got up and headed towards the armory. We all walked down the gun metal gray halls to a large room full of weapons and helmets. Denal and I along with a few other troopers went to the area that held our gear. Once we had our blasters and helmets we jogged off to the hangar. A siren began to wail and a red light was bathing the entire ship. By the time we got to the hangar it was chaos. Gunship crews were getting in their ships, AT-TE walkers were lining up in rows and clone troopers were organizing by platoons. Our small group saw '67 with the rest of our platoon in between two gunships. The gunships themselves were standard LAAT/i configuration, four bubble turrets on the ship, two on the wing and two toward the front of the ship. The ship's color scheme was bone with maroon details. The two pilots manning the LAAT were already strapped in going through pre-flight systems check. At least that's what it looked like, random button pressing looked all the same to me. It looked like the captain was about to speak when he saw us and motioned us over quickly. We ran over and fell in line with the rest of the troops.

"Alright everyone is here so listen up. Our mission is to land inside a arena held by Geonosians and the separatists. We will form a perimeter with our gunships an secure the area. Our objective is simple: rescue any and all surviving Jedi. Understood?" '67 questioned, his no nonsense attitude present.

"No sir" we replied immediately.

"Alright, split into two groups one for each gunship then load up" the captain ordered. He then walked towards the gunship on the left. Denal, a group of troopers and I followed him onto the gunship. The rest of the platoon went on the other gunship. Just when I had gotten on the gunship I realized something I had saw earlier.

"Sir who was the little green creature in robes standing off to the side?" I asked the captain. '67 just looked at me, even with his helmet on I could see that he was generally shocked by what I had said. He shook his head while looking down before glancing back at me.

"I can't believe I forgot to mention but it shouldn't be hard to guess, that was General Yoda, leader of the Jedi" the captain answered solemnly.

The realization has clicked into my head right after his statement. Back on Kamino it was addressed that General Yoda would be accompanying us during the invasion. I nodded my head toward '67. Suddenly the there was a different siren that wailed throughout the hangar drowning out the previous one. Then the gunship doors slammed shut, swallowing the cabin in total darkness. After that the gunship quickly lifted off the ground, catching a few of troopers by surprise with them almost losing their balance. Suddenly it felt like the ship itself took a nose dive then leveled out into a steady flight pattern.

"Pilot can you open the blast shields?" '67 calmly asked.

"Yes sir" the pilot replied immediately.

Small slits in the door opened, rays of light piercing the darkness in the troop bay. I along with a few other troopers curiously tried to look out the open panels to see what was outside. I couldn't see much except red, barren looking rock spires reaching out to the sky. I stepped back and held onto one of the straps hanging above us.

'Not what I expected for a war..'I mused.

"Eta 2 minutes" the pilot called out to us urgently.

All troops on the ship double checked their weapons. '67 was armed with the carbine DC while Denal had the rifle variant. Most of the troops also had the rifle variant while a few had carbines as well. Suddenly the doors opened, revealing the landscape out to us. Below us was an arena like structure made out of the same red type of rock I saw earlier. The arena itself had hundreds of seats of rock carved out of the arena which would have held onlookers. In the center of the arena was a large field made out of peach colored sand. Thousands of metallic humanoid figures covered the field, encircling a small group of people wielding glowing sticks.

'Wait, glowing sticks? Must be Jedi' I told myself.

The field was littered with fallen bodies, most of them the metallic figures which must of been droids but a few here and there were the bodies of robe wearing Jedi. One of the people being surrounded, a woman wearing white clothing and holding a blaster, pointed up to the gunships that were descending toward the ground. Immediately the war machines raised up their blasters but were cut down by the gunships on strafing runs. The destructive air transports fired with their forward facing cannons while the turrets and troops on the transports fired sporadically. Our gunship itself was still descending next to the Jedi while its guns fired. The troops on the LAAT including myself however, weren't firing because we were all surprised from what was going on.

"What are you waiting?! Are trained has lead up to this, open fire!" '67 shouted at us in a determined voice. He then walked over to the edge of the ship and started firing at nearby droids.

Shortly after the rest of us began firing. Denal and I sat on the opposite edge of the ship, Denal firing in short bursts while I picked targets. From my scope I could see three types of droids that I recognized from training. The standard slim built B1 battle droid, weak by itself but strong in numbers. The navy blue colored B2 super battle droid, its build heavier and more armored along with it having a wrist laser cannon. Finally the rolling ball of death, destroyer droids. I fired for the most part at super battle droids, occasionally taking down a destroyer to help further decrease the separatist numbers. Finally our LAAT landed along with the rest of them forming a defensive circle around the Jedi. Denal and I along with two more troopers jumped off and faced the enemy machines. They stood up firing their rifles while I dropped to one knew, taking out as many droids as we could. A couple shots whizzed past us impacting the LAAT while other shots impacted the ground. The droids were dropping like flies but there were hundreds of them.

"Everyone back on the gunship!" '67 roared at us, urgency drenching his voice.

With that Denal, I and the two troopers immediately walked back to the ship while still firing. Just when we were about to put our feet on the LAAT a bright crimson bolt slammed into the leg of one of the troopers. He collapsed to the ground with a cry while the trooper that was with us caught him and dragged him onto the ship. As soon as everyone was on the ship it lifted off with the rest of the strike team. The doors stayed opened and I could see the droids immediately file out of the arena. I turned around to see the wounded trooper being treated by the medical droid onboard the LAAT. '67 was talking to two sergeants that were on the ship while Denal was staring at two Jedi that we had picked up. The first one was a human male, he had peach skin, short brown hair and light blue eyes. He was wearing khaki robes and a small grey utility built that held his light saber. The other Jedi, who was shorter than the first, was a Mon Calamari. His skin was aqua and his bulbous eyes were golden. His robes were the same color as the first Jedi. Judging from the Calamari's build it was also male. He had his lightsaber in his hand but had a dark brown belt that could of held the blade.

"Master, who are these soldiers?" The Mon Calamari questioned while gesturing to us.

"I'm not sure Kalar, tell me soldier who are you? I remember Master Yoda mentioning an army for the Republic." The Jedi questioned.

'So the Mon Calamari, Kalar, is a Jedi apprentice. And the human is a Jedi Knight or Master' I thought to myself. The captain walked over to the two Jedi.

"We are clone troopers of the Grand Army of the Republic. We were created to support the Jedi and to help maintain peace" '67 answered Jedi pondered this information, placing a hand on his chin.

Kalar opened his mouth but no words came out as the entire LAAT shook violently. Everyone on board grabbed the straps to hold on while flames erupted around the front of the ship.

"We've been hit! This is transport bravo 2-5, were going down in sector 4 coordinates 32.14-" the pilot didn't get to finish as the ship slammed into the ground.

Everyone was thrown forward, either slamming into the ground or the ship. I was slammed into the bulkhead in front of me, even though my helmet prevented brain injuries it was enough that my vision began to blacken. I slowly slid to the floor, collapsing on top of another trooper, the last thing I saw was the captain trying to get up but also falling to the ground.

* * *

**-Geonosis. Time unknown, location unknown-**

"I think he is beginning to wake up" a strange voice called out.

"Give him some room, go help the other troopers" another voice stated, this one sounding more mature than the first one. I began to open my eyes to see the Jedi Knight standing over me. I began to sit up only to fall back down, pain hammering my head. I clutched my head and groaned as the pain stayed constant for a few seconds before subsiding.

"Easy, you hit your head pretty hard" the Jedi said with concern while placing his hand on my chest to prevent me from getting up.

"Ugh..where are we?" I groaned.

"We don't know, we can hear sounds of a battle up head though. The captain has decided we head in that direction, link up with our forces" the Jedi Knight answered calmly while offering his hand.

I grabbed his hand, letting him pull me up to my feet. I stood up and surveyed my surroundings. The troop cabin was at an angle and both doors were barely hanging on the gunship. Debris and bits of the destroyed ship littered the ship and part of the cabin floor was sunk into the planet, red soil enveloping it. The Jedi handed me my blaster rifle and walked outside. I followed him after checking to make sure my rifle was functioning. The sight was grim.  
Kalar, the Jedi knight, '67, Denal and some of the men were on their feet while the rest including the pilots were on the ground. Most of the troops had parts of their armors off and had bandages wrapped around their obsidian body suits. The pilots along with a few troopers on the ground, not moving. The captain was conversing with two sergeants that were on the ship with us. I strolled over to '67 and tapped him on his shoulder. '67 turned to me while the two sergeants walked away and addressed the troopers.

"What's the situation captain?" I questioned urgently.

"Were in bad shape, most of them men are wounded and we lost five troopers and our pilots. We can't make contact with command so we're walking" '67 answered solemnly.

"You ok sir?" I asked him, concern evident in my voice while placing my hand on his shoulder. Normally during exercises the captain would have a serious demeanor but would still be the same, but he seemed like a different person. His body was shaking slightly and he would look side to side occasionally. He shook his head before looking at me.

"We lost men when we weren't in combat and were cut off, on our first mission" he said sadly.

"We still have some troops left and we rescued the Jedi, this mission isn't a failure" I answered sympathetically while squeezing his shoulder. He looked at the ground before looking back at me.

"Thank you Prowl, I needed to hear that. Hm, name is still weird though" he chuckled slightly. I just growled at him which made him laugh even more. I pushed him lightly which barely stopped him, but then he straightened up and got the attention of everyone.

"Alright listen up everyone!" '67 ordered, causing all the troops who could move to crowd around the captain.

"We're cut off from the rest of our forces and comms are down, the plan is to head out to wherever the nearest battle is and fight to our lines. Any questions?" The captain asked calmly, seeming to be more confident.

"What about the wounded and the dead?" One trooper asked anxiously. I could hear '67 sigh before answering the soldier.

"Will carry the men who are too injured to move on their own. I hate to say it though but we're going to have to leave the dead" our co replied quietly. All the troopers, including myself, to some degree was shocked by this.

"We can't just leave them! They're our brothers!" Another trooper cried out desperately.

"We don't have a choice! This is war troopers, we don't have the luxury of bringing back every men we lose. We are stuck behind enemy lines, we need every able body holding a blaster. Will mourn later but we need to move now!" '67 shouted sternly.

Everyone immediately began moving. Denal and a few troopers picked up the wounded, either helping them up or having to carry them. The rest of the troopers formed up in a loose formation, having the Jedi and the wounded in the center. We began moving forward at a slow pace, cautious of our surrounding and possible threats. I began to observe our surroundings. We had crashed in a small flat plain, in front of us was a small mountain that split down the middle. Judging from the nervous body language everyone had, they were probably thinking the same thing I was thinking.

'We could be walking into an ambush' I thought grimly.  
By the time we reached the mountain we could hear blaster fire and explosions clearer than we did earlier. The small path before was wide enough for us to walk unrestricted. However, from the Intel we had learn on Geonosians, they were excellent at camouflage and could blend into their surroundings.

"Tighten formation, watch for bugs or droids" '67 ordered cautiously.

We slowly walked into the mountain, most of the troopers blasters were aimed at the small crevices and holes in the dusty red colored walls. As we moved further into mountain, the sounds of dry leaves rustling could be heard echoing across the chasm.

"I don't like the sound of that" stated one trooper nervously.

"It was probably just the wind playing tricks" another trooper replied equally as nervous.

"Cut the chatter troopers, stay focused" the captain said sternly.

Suddenly the sound of wings flapping furiously echoed throughout the canyon. All the troopers looked around to see where the noise was coming from. I was up at the lead of the formation along with the captain while Denal was in the rear and the Jedi in the middle. I turned around to see a brown blur grab one of the wounded troopers. The Geonosian grabbed him by his injured arm and yanked him into the air. The pain inflicted on his already wounded shoulder caused him to scream in agony and drop his DC rifle. A few of the troopers were too stunned and just watched as the bug flew towards a hole in the canyon, the trooper still screaming and squirming. The rest of the rest of the troopers opened fire on the separatist. All of the shots whizzed right past the Geonosian despite how many troopers were firing. I dropped to one knee and peered down the scope of my sniper, my breath slowed down to help focus. I lined up my shot with the wings and pulled the trigger. The shot just singed the tip of the wings but the bug flew right into the hole with our unlucky brother. Once inside the screeches of Geonosians could be heard and the screams of the trooper rose to a higher pitch. I pounded my fist into the ground.

"DAMNIT!" I roared in frustration.

"Captain! Permission to get a few troopers to retrieve axel!" Denal shouted in desperation, two troopers standing behind him ready to save their brother.

"Negative we have to keep moving" '67 answered emotionlessly, already beginning to move forward.

"But sir-" Denal began.

"That is an order!" '67 bellowed in anger. "We already lost enough brothers! We can't afford to lose more just to save a few, now fall in and maintain formation"

"Yes sir" came the replies of the men, regret and anguish could be heard in our voices.

We fell back into formation, walking faster so we didn't lose anyone else. The screams of our brother began to fade into the distance but the desperate and pain filled shrieks would continue to haunt us in our dreams. We were about halfway through the canyon when we could hear the sound of rustling leaves again. Immediately all the troopers got into a defensive position while the two Jedi activated their lightsabers. The Jedi knight had a green lightsaber while Kalar's was aqua. This time we spotted the Geonosian before it took one of our troopers. It was coming from the rear of the group, aiming for one of the wounded.

'They must be trying to pick off the weakest' I thought bitterly.

All the troops opened fire, this time managing to put the bug down before it was able to get in close. Then we heard the sound of Geonosians flying louder than before.

"There's too many, MOVE!" The Jedi knight shouted.

Denal and the troopers moved forward, clearing a path towards the exit of the canyon. The captain, I and the two Jedi stayed behind to cover the retreat. Geonosians started pouring out of the crevices, using strange blasters that fired green orbs of energy. The Jedi stood in front of us, deflecting any shot that came to close while '67 and I fired at the bugs. The captain fired in short bursts, keeping most of the separatists pinned down and taking down whichever was stupid to try and move. I shot down any of the Geonosians that tried to fly at us or try to run closer. By the time we had taken down twenty Geonosians, the canyon was filled with bugs and we were forced to slowly fall back. Denal and the rest of the men had set up a perimeter at the exit and had their blasters ready to take down anyone while we retreated.

"Sir fall back, Prowl and I will cover you" '67 yelled over the whine of blaster fire and Lightsabers.

"Negative captain, take my padawan and fall back" the Jedi knight shouted.

Suddenly we heard a loud inhumane screech, we all looked to the left side of the canyon wall to see an abomination. It was a Geonosian, but unlike the rest it had obsidian skin and blood res eyes. Instead of stubby fingers and toes it had sharp claws. It lunged towards me but the Jedi knight stood in between me and sliced it in half. Its body fell to the ground and twitched slightly before lying still. The Jedi turned to me to reply but was cut off when another onyx Geonosian came right behind him and stabbed him in the back. He dropped his lightsaber and fell to the ground with a cry of anguish and pain. I pulled out my blaster pistol and sunk four bolts into its ugly skull. It fell to the ground while Kalar ran to his master and '67 and I provided covering fire.

"Master!" Kalar cried out in sadness

"Kalar...you have to leave" the fallen knight stated through gritted teeth.

"Captain..hand me some explosives" the wounded Jedi said.

"Sir?" '67 questioned in confusion.

"They are trying to capture us...I'll lure them in and activate the explosives" the Jedi knight said weakly.

"Negative sir, our orders are too get you two to safety!" I shouted over the chorus of war.

"I'm your commanding office...this is an order" the Jedi said while picking himself up with the help of his apprentice. '67 and I looked at each other before he took out two small thermal detonators and handed them to the Jedi while I covered him. The Geonosian's attack had slowed down but they were probably massing for another assault soon.

"Alright, Kalar go with the troopers and run, I'll buy everyone time" he said calmly.

"But master-"

"You are no longer a youngling anymore, you must walk this path by yourself" the master said proudly while placing his hand on Kalar's shoulder.

The Jedi knight took out his lightsaber and handed it to his apprentice. Kalar took it but his face pain and sorrow etched into it, a couple tears threatening to escape.  
The master smiled warmly at Kalar before pulling him into a hug. Kalar was caught off guard at first before hugging his master. We heard the sounds of Geonosians screeches, '67 and I aimed our blasters and began firing at the large mass of bugs that were sprinting towards us. We managed to take a few down causing others to trip but there was too many.

"Sir if we're going to go we need to move now!" I shouted at '67. '67 nodded and grabbed Kalar, running back to the rest of the men. Kalar began to beat his fists against the captains back in desperation to stay with his master.

"MASTER!" The padawan cried out in sadness and anguish.

The Jedi knight had tears flowing freely from his face while smiling warmly at his apprentice, he then stared at me.  
"You better get going soldier" he said calmly, accepting his fate.

"It's been an honor sir" I said solemnly before running to my brothers.

After a few seconds of running I heard the loud BOOM of the explosives going off. I turned to see walls of the chasm collapsing around the site of the explosion, I couldn't see anything through the thick cloud of smoke and dust that was created from the detonators.

'This war is only going to get worse..' I thought gravely before sprinting back to my brothers.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's notes: Hello readers, unfortunately the chapter isn't as long as usual however I've been given more free time so I'll be able to update sooner :) . If anyone notices any mistakes or have any suggestions I would appreciate it. Also want to give a shout out to my first follower, Dragon Force Ranger! -throws confetti and fireworks- Thank you Dragon I appreciate the support, your prize if you choose to accept it will be an oc that you make will be put into the story. Now without further delay, let the story begin**

* * *

**-Geonosis. Location:unknown**  
**Time: unknown-**

"Take Cover!" The captain shouted as another hail of blaster fire roared towards us.

It had only been a few minutes after the Jedi sacrificed himself. The explosion had given a lull during the battle, long enough for '67 and I to take cover with the rest of the men and Kalar behind a few dust red boulders. Just when we had reached the men, the Geonosians continued the attack, preferring to fire their blasters instead of close quarters. We returned fire, dropping a few bugs while the rest took cover. It then turned into a game of taking potshots while I fired only when I could get a kill.

"Sir running low on ammo!" One of the troopers cried frantically.

"Conserve your ammo, hit only what you can hit!" '67 ordered over the firefight.

I saw a Geonosian dash toward cover that was closer to us. I followed it with my rifle, firing one shot into its leg to wound it. It crashed to the ground with a screech of agonizing pain, I noticed two other bugs run out of cover to help their comrade. I fired a bright blue bolt into the chest of the Geonosian closest to the fallen bug, the other Geonosian gave a pause to glance at the bug that just got hit. I put a hole through the other separatist and then searched for the wounded soldier. It was still lying on the ground screeching and holding its injured leg. I calmly shot it in the eye and moved on to search for more targets.

"Captain, I got some transmission on comms" Denal yelled to our CO.

"Patch it through the platoon channel" the captain commanded.

The comm crackled to life, at first it was static filled then slowly voices could be heard.

"...please respond. This gunship Alpha 3-6 come in over" the pilot stated over patchy communications.

"This is the captain of Bravo platoon, we're about to be overrun we need pick up!" '67 cried into his helmet, desperation evident in his voice.

"Copy that sir, eta 30 seconds" the pilot answered.

"Hold the line men, help is on the way!" '67 said to his men jubilantly.

"YES SIR" the platoon answered.

With this information we let lose a torrent of navy bolts with renewed spirit knowing we would be rescued. Kalar quickly ran to the front of the troops blocking any spheres of energy that might of hit someone. This continued on for what felt like ages, more and more Geonosians collapsing to the ground while our ammo dwindle more and more. A group of five Geonosians ran forward toward us, firing their blasters forcing most of the the troopers to duck. I turned to fire at one of the separatists a large explosion engulfed the entire area. We all looked up to see a LAAT/i gunship slowly descend towards us, blasters blazing towards the enemy.

"Everyone fall back! Prowl and Denal cover the retreat" the captain ordered.

All the troops and Kalar began to slowly walk towards where the gunship was hovering while I moved up towards where Denal was in cover.

"So hows the weather Denal?" I asked sarcastically while taking down another separatist. Denal didn't seem to notice my tone and looked at me like I was crazy.

"Are you kidding me! We're on a hostile dust ball of a planet with giant bugs shooting at us, we're in a firefight and YOU ASK HOW THE WEATHER IS?!" Denal asked incredulously.

"Well yeah, its kind of hot don't you think? I asked him calmly while hitting another bug in its wing.

Denal just let out a groan before saying "why do I even talk to you".

I saw a green sphere flying right towards Denal, without bothering to reply I dove into him causing both of us to crash to the ground.

"Because you like having me around and who else is going to save your sorry butt" I said cheekily.

Denal just pushed me off and mumbled to himself. Suddenly we heard a screech and saw a Geonosian looming over us with its blaster pointed at me. I raises up my hands to my face and squeezed my eyes shut, knowing what was about to happen. I heard a blaster fire but I felt no pain. I tentatively open my eyes to see a dead Geonosian and Denal holding a smoking blaster. He looked at me, judging from his body language he was amused, held out his hand to pull me up. I grabbed my rifle and let Denal pull me up.

"I thought Arc troopers never cowered from the enemy" Denal said jokingly.

"Yeah yeah shut it Denal" I stated in annoyance, not finding any comebacks to say.

"Denal, Prowl! Fall back will cover you" the captain shouted to us.

Denal and I looked between each other before we sprinted towards our brothers. The separatists stopped firing, opting to retreat since the gunship's firepower was more than a match for their blasters. Everyone scrambled on board as the LAAT/i lifted off, its beam turrets providing cover fire. The doors of the republic craft closed while leaving the blast doors opened, allowing light to flow into the ship. I looked around to see most of the men leaning on each other, fatigue from todays events weighing heavy on them. Kalar stood off from everyone, his head held low, dealing with the loss of his master. Denal stood next to me while '67 talked to a lieutenant that had navy blue details on his white armor, two other troopers stood behind the lieutenant.

"What a day eh Prowl?" Denal asked me curiously.

"Na, seemed like it was a walk in the park don't u agree?" I responded nonchalantly. Once again Denal didn't seem to understand that I was joking and just stared at me.

"Sarcasm wasn't part of your program was it?" I questioned seriously. Before he could reply, the captain cleared his throat, getting everyones attention.

"Listen up, were being redeployed. The rest of the platoon made it safely to the front where they will be waiting for us at one of the nearest forward outposts. Kalar, General Yoda has ordered for you to return to Coruscant" the captain stated. The troopers nodded to this information while Kalar just glanced at '67. "Our platoon will be providing infantry support for an armored column. Any questions?"

No one said anything, the captain just nodded and was about to continue when the sounds of war could be heard in the distance. All the troops looked out and were shocked by the sight we witnessed. Thousands upon thousands of droids and clones were fighting, unleashing storms of crimson and sapphire blaster bolts against one another. Spider droids, AAT tanks and hellfire droids clashed against AT-TE walkers and saber class tanks. As we descended onto the battlefield, we could see small command structures behind the main republic lines. Observation structures mark targets while command buildings issue orders through their advanced communications. Reinforcements slowly pouring onto the frontline while wounded were carried back to the rear. We landed in a small clearing next to the outpost, around 15 troopers waiting next to us. The gunship doors opened, my brothers and I poured out to greet the rest of our brothers. From what I was hearing from the conversations our men were having, the other group of troopers had landed at the beachhead for main invasion force and had helped push the enemy back. I turned to see the lieutenant and his two troopers were escorting Kalar to the rear of the army. Kalar's face was void of any expression, a blank stare hiding his true emotions.

"Bravo platoon, form up!" '67 ordered.

'Here we go again' I thought sarcastically.

The remaining members of platoon lined up in front of the captain. The difference between the troopers of my group and the other group was that the men who crashed landed had soot and dust covering their armor. The other group however, their armor for the most part was still pure chalk.

"Command has us supporting a small armor column, consisting of two AT-TE walkers and saber tanks. We already lost some of our brothers, but lets make the enemy regret the day they started this war!" '67 roared with determination, inspiring us.

"YES SIR!" We shouted back.

'67 then ran towards the republic armor that we were ordered to cover, the platoon following after him.

At the moment the walkers were firing at separatist tanks while the sabers engaged in any droid that got too close. Currently the battle was slowly tipping in the scale for the republic, more and more clone reinforcements were being deployed faster than the droids. Droid control and techno union ships sat behind enemy lines, waiting to take off. We fell in line with the walkers and tanks, standing next to the two AT-TEs while we used the sabers for cover.

"Take out any droids carrying missile launchers, we must protect the tanks" '67 ordered while blasting apart a b1 droid.

"Sir, permission to climb on AT-TE for vantage point?" I asked.

"Confirmed, Denal cover him while he climbs" the captain commanded.

Denal nodded and moved to my position, laying down cover fire while I climbed onto the vehicle. When I got on top of the walker the gunner glanced at me before firing at a spider droid. I sat down on the left side of the vehicle with my legs dangling off to the side and scanned the area for targets. I spotted a dwarf spider firing at one of the saber tanks but the driver was too busy firing against a spider droid. I fired two bolts into both its eyes, causing it to cease fire and wander aimlessly.

"Denal! We got a dwarf spider to the left of the tanks, its blind but keep watch of it" I warned my fellow clone.

"Copy that" Denal replied quickly.

I continued scanning for targets until I saw a squad of three B2s and seven B1s flanking the captains position.

"Captain! You have a squad of droids flanking you to the right!" I cried out urgently while firing at the nearest B2, causing it to collapse to the ground.

The captain didn't bother to reply, instead he ordered the troopers nearest to him to fire at the separatist squad. I took down another B2 before the rest of the droids were scrapped as well. After that I looked for more targets, spotting a couple of B2s carrying missile launchers. They both dropped to one knee, aiming at the very walker I was on.

'Crap this is going to be close' I told myself in apprehension.

I fired at the barrel of the droid's launcher that was on the left, causing the weapon to get in the way of the other droid's line of sight. The first droid fired his missile, the projectile crashing into the side of a AAT tank, causing the confederate vehicle to burst into flames. The second droid fired half a second after, engulfing both droids in a small ball of flames. Suddenly a large humming noise began to fill the area, coming from the field of separatist war ships. The nearest sphere like ship began to ascend into the skies, the rest of the techno union ships following suit.

"All units, prepare for possible dust storm" a clone officer stated over our comms.

" 'possible dust storm'? What is that supposed to mean" one of the troopers questioned skeptically.

Abruptly, three cyan beams of laser clashed against the hull of the droid ship. Debris fell of the warship while its speed began to decrease. More and more beams collided into the control ship every second until finally miniature explosions began to erupt inside the ship. Then it began to fall quickly back to the planet, the realization of what was about to occur hit the men as collective gasps and groans could be heard of the comms.

'Well shit' I thought pessimistically.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's note: Hellooo star was fans and random readers! Sorry I haven't posted in so long I've been having the worst of writer's block lately but I will continue to write and update as much as I can. If anyone has any possible ideas or ways I could improve this story I would really appreciate it, alright now its time to read more star wars action**

* * *

**-location: battlefield on Geonosis. Time: 1820-**

The warship slammed hard into the ground, erupting into a fiery sphere of bright flames. The shockwave from the crash shook all the droids around the crash site, causing most to collapse to the ground. A huge wall of dirt lifted off the ground and races towards on our lines. By the time it raced past my platoon and the vehicles we were with, I could only see my brothers, the tanks, and faint outline of droids a few feet away. We couldn't see any enemy armor but we could hear the humming of repulsor tech and

"Fire at anything that moves in front of you, we may not see them but they are out there" the captain informed us sternly.

Almost immediately the platoon opened fire on any suspicious silhouettes, unfortunately the separatists fired back with better accuracy than our own men. A couple troopers took bright ruby bolts to their lower torso and collapsed to the ground. A medic rushed over and check for vitals on both wounded men. The medic then dragged both injured clones onto one of the side repulsor units, then he got on the tank began to treat the injured men. The armor column continued to advance forward, all saber tanks tearing apart droid ranks and the AT-TE laser cannons destroying any enemy armor, the only way we could tell where from the large explosions in the distance. The way the walkers moved with their six legs would throw off my aim a couple of times, causing my shots to impact the dirt. I switched my scope setting to thermal, the entire landscape lighting up w burning orange humanoid size silhouettes and large blobs of red. The dust cloud continued to ravage the battlefield, everyone's armor starting to have a dull orange tint. I spotted a AAT tank moving towards us, its main cannon aimed for one of the sabers. All the sabers were too busy firing on other droids and tanks, so I had expected one of the AT-TE's mass driver cannon to fire at the separatist armor. A few seconds had pass by and the AAT was still moving forward firing its main cannon, its shots falling a few feet short of our position.

'Why aren't the walkers firing?!" I wondered in bewilderment. I inched towards the gunner of the AT-TE I was on to see the clone pressing buttons furiously on his controls.

"Gunner! Why aren't you firing?!" I cried out over the sandstorm.

"The main cannon's thermal sensors aren't functioning! Same with the other walker!" The gunner shouted in frustration, slamming his hand onto his console.

"Calm down, my rifle has a thermal setting I can spot targets for you an the other AT-TE" I told the gunner.

"Copy that, our comm channel 7-2B" the gunner replied quickly.

"Captain I'm switching comm channels, the tanks need a spotter" I stated to '67 urgently. I didn't bother to hear a reply, I switched channels to hear all the tank crews conversing between each other.

"Saber-2 you have a spider droid 10 meters away"

"Copy that, firing missiles"

"Saber-1 hellfire droid inbound, right side!"

"Got it firing cannons, Saber-4 fire missiles"

"Missiles away"

"AAT tank moving towards our center"

"Copy that Saber-3, all Sabers focus fire on AAT" I tuned them out and focused on looking for target for the walkers. I spotted a trio of AAT tanks slowly moving towards our left flank with two squads of battle droids supporting the enemy armor.

"Enemy mechanized platoon moving in on left flank, latitude 10 degrees longitude 50 degrees" I stated calmly into the comm channel

As soon as the words left my mouth, the gunner on my walker turned his cannon towards the separatist unit. He aimed for a moment before firing, a large boom shook the entire walker and a bright flash came out of the cannon. I looked at the droid armor to see it erupt into a fiery shrapnel bomb. Debris from the tank cut down half battle droids, the closest tank was engulfed in the flames but emerged merely scorched. The second AT-TE fired at the other AAT, the shrapnel destroying the rest of the B1s. The remaining separatist tank fired at the walker I was on, the laser round impacting the side of the tank. The round shook the republic vehicle violently, causing me to lose balance and almost fall off.

"What are you waiting for?! Open fire!" I screamed in frustration. Before I could even finish speaking the gunner fired another round, the cobalt shell tearing apart the separatist tank.

"Requesting confirmation on targets" the gunner asked calmly. I used my rifle to peer through the smoke coming off the wrecked tanks. No movement could be seen, all the battle droids were shattered to pieces and the tanks were charred beyond use.

"Targets destroyed, searching for more targets" I answered quickly, scanning the entire battlefield for anymore targets. I spotted two spider droids moving on the right flank of our column.

"Two spider droids approaching right flank, latitude 16 degrees longitude 67 degrees" I shouted over the sound of blasters and explosions.

"Copy that" the second AT-TE gunner replied.

I didn't bother to watch but I heard the distinct sound of the mass driver cannon firing and two explosions. I continued to look at the battlefield. The platoon was continuing to provide support for the tanks, one of the sabers suffering minor damage but other wise all republic vehicles were functioning. The platoon itself had only taken two casualties from earlier, the medic that treated them was carrying one of the injured while the other trooper walked on his own feet. The men were heading towards the AT-TE walker probably to rest during the battle. The dust was beginning to settle, the droids were being pushed back while clone troops and armor pushed them back. Most of the separatist ships fled in orbit while a few others crashed to the ground. In front of us I saw two hellfire tanks advancing towards us. The closest hellfire to us fired a trio of missiles, speeding towards our ranks. The first missile fell short of one of the saber tanks, the second slammed directly into the same tank causing it to explode, the last missile impacted the AT-TE walker that was carrying our injured. The entire vehicle exploded in a bright fire ball, shrapnel from the explosion flew towards our walker. I ducked but the gunner wasn't so lucky, a piece of metal jutting out of his helmet.

"Hellfire tanks inbound! AT-209 fire!" One of the saber drivers cried in desperation.

"The gunner is down! I'm manning the turret!" I shouted while shouldering my rifle and running to the cannon.  
I pulled out the corpse and laid my fallen brother on the hull of the walker. I slid into the seat of the cannon, turning the turret towards the two separatist units.

'Well I've never fired a cannon before, no time like present' I told myself sarcastically.

"They're preparing to fire you'll only get one shot!" One of the saber drivers screamed in fear.

I aimed the cannon at the nearest hellfire droid, hoping the shot would impact the center part of the droid. I pulled the trigger on the controls, silently praying we all wouldn't die. The entire vehicle shook as the blue laser round escaped the cannon with a deafening boom. The round veered right, clipping the hellfire droid's wheel and causing it to break off from the droid. The separatist machine made a hard left, crashing into the other rocket tank. Both droids exploded, leaving no trace of them. Metal and debris impacted any nearby droid that was already retreating.

"Great shot trooper!" The driver of the AT-TE shouted in amazement.

"Stay focused its not over yet!" One of the saber drivers stated.

* * *

**-Location: G.A.R. staging area, Geonosis. Time 2037-**

A few hours later and dozens of droid vehicles and infantry destroyed the battle was won. The battle field had turn into dusty junkyard, thousands of droid husks and machinery littered the surface, smoke slowly billowing up to the sky. Our platoon was picked up by gunships to be sent back to the staging area while armor column stayed on the front lines. In total our platoon had lost eleven troopers and sustained another three injured including Denal. A lucky B1 managed to clip him in his's shoulder before being scrapped. The injured were taking to a medical ship in orbit while the rest of the platoon waited transfer orders. The staging area was a simple area of Geonosian dirt that held a couple of pre built garrison buildings and designated landing zones for LAATs. The men where in one of the building getting grub while I was looking for the captain, I found on the perimeter looking out to the battlefield. He was sitting with his back against a supply crate and his helmet by his side. I sat down next to him, placing my helmet and rifle next to me, glancing over at his face. Sorrow was etched into his face while he gazed put into the barren hell hole. I looked out to the field, gathering my thoughts on what to say.

"You did your best sir, this was our first mission" I told '67 solemnly. '67 didn't respond at first, gazing out to the landscape before speaking.

"Triage, Gale, and Trench died in a fiery explosion from the hellfire droid. CT-7542 got vaporized by an AAT shell" the captain stated, with each trooper he spoke about his voice becoming shakier,"CT-7560 jumped on a thermal det to save his brothers, Hoax even pushed me to the ground to save me while he took a barrage from a B2. We lost another 5 men during the gunship crash,"

at this point he turned to me and tears were slowly streaming down his face and his fists were clenched tightly.

"And Axel?! We don't even know what happened to him! Those damn bugs carried him off to who knows where! We lost almost half out platoon, I failed you and I failed them!" '67 cried out in agony, tears flowing freely down his face. Emotions began to well inside me and my eyes began to fill with tears as well. I clasped my hand on '67 shoulder before speaking.

"That's why you have to be strong sir. Not just for me or Denal but for the platoon, the men are probably going through the same thing right now. Captain we need a leader, we need YOU to hold us together or every mission will be another Geonosis" I stated somberly while trying to inspire '67. '67 looked at me before wiping his tears and nodding with determination. He stood up and offered me his hand. I grabbed his hand and pulled myself to his height.

"Thanks Prowl, I needed that" '67 stated warmly.

"Don't worry about it, let's go help the rest of our brothers" I replied while letting go of his hand. My close friend nodded, we picked up our gear and walked over to the mess hall. We saw what was left of our platoon huddled in one corner of the building, eating their rations in silence. '67 stood at one end of the table while I stood behind at attention. One of the troopers noticed our presence and stood up immediately.

"Attention! Captain on deck!" The trooper shouted. The rest of the platoon stood up at attention, waiting for what the captain had to say.

"At ease men, prowl take a seat as well" '67 ordered. I took a seat closest to the captain while everyone else sat down as well. '67 took a deep breath before addressing the men.

"Men, today wasn't an easy day for any of us. We lost so many brothers, our bodies battered, our spirits devastated. None of us are where we need to be mentally, not even five minutes ago tears were running down my face!"

At this all the men stared up at '67, barely believing what he had just said.

"Yes its true, Prowl can tell you himself that. I was beyond hopeless inside, everyone of you trusted me with your lives, to keep you safe. But I can't have a moment of weakness, I am still here and so are you! They died in defense of the Republic, we can't let their sacrifice be in vain. Its hard but as long as I'm your captain we will never fall, who's with me!" The captain shouted with resolve while raising his fist in the air.

"WE'RE WITH YOU!" The platoon and I roared back with fierce determination. Just as we had finished yelling we all heard an amused chuckle. The troopers, '67 and I looked around in confusion before we spotted General Yoda standing to the side with his cane wearing Jedi robes. We all saluted the General causing the Jedi to chuckle more.

"Moving speech that was" the wise General said softly.

"Thank you sir, with respect General what brings you here" '67 wondered.

"Promoted you and your sniper are, to airfield you must go to be transferred" the Jedi replied.

"What will happen to my men?" The captain questioned with concern.

"Moved to republic garrison on coruscant, preparations for war. Will rejoin them after promotions are made" the small green Jedi answered calmly. At this point the platoon was whispering to each other about what was going on.

"If I may ask what promotions will we be receiving?" I asked curiously while stepping forward.

"Advance commander training for the captain and Arc trooper you will receive" General Yoda stated with a small smile.

Shocked was the only emotion I felt at that point, I looked to '67 with wide eyes while he looked at me, surprise written on his expression. The platoon let out a gasp of astonishment, after one mission we were already being promoted to such a high rank. The platoon then began to clap and cheer for us while '67 and I smiled and shook hands to congratulate each other. Only one thought went through my head during this wonderful moment.

'Denal is going through a hell of a fit when he hears this' I thought smugly.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's notes: I'm aliiiiiiivvvvveeeeee! Sorry for the extreme delay I won't even go into details about what happened, just know that this chapter isn't as good as the others I've been having writer's block. Anyways on to the show**

* * *

**-location: republic cruiser voyager, en route to Kamino. Time: 0750-**

After General Yoda left, '67 and I boarded a gunship that went aboard a acclamator ship heading to Kamino. At the moment the captain and I were sitting in the mess hall eating our bland rations.

"So what do you think Advanced Commander training will be like?" I questioned '67 curiously. He put down his fork and placed his hand to his chin in thought.

"Dunno, it'll probably be more focused on leading larger amounts of troops than just small platoons or maybe learning about specialized troopers and how to use them" he replied calmly with a shrug.

"What do you think Arc Trooper training will be like?" He asked while looking at me.

"I bet it will be more physical training and how to operate behind enemy lines. I heard that Arcs get better armor and weapons too" I answered while smirking. '67 just rolled his eyes while smiling and continued eating his food. We fell into a comfortable silence shortly after occasionally making small talk but for the most part we just sat and ate. Then four other clones sat right down next to us, two sitting next to me while the rest sat with '67.

"Mind if we sit here?" The trooper next to me asked.

"Not at all brother, you have a name or do you go by your number?" I questioned him.

"My brothers call me Havoc, its because of how much havoc I caused the droids on Geonosis" he replied confidently while smirking.

"The names Blitz, I would tackle droids left and right during Geonosis" the trooper to the far right of '67 answered.

"I'm CT-2224" the trooper sitting next to '67 stated.

"And I'm CT-3268" the last trooper on the far left of me stated.

"Who are you guys?" Havoc asked '67 and I.

"I'm CT-7567 and he is Prowl, Alpha-17 gave him the nickname during a training session" my friend answered for the both of us.  
Hearing this made all four troopers gasp in astonishment.

"Whoa the Alpha gave you your nickname?" Havoc asked incredulously.

"Yeah, he said I had the potential to be Arc. It was during a training session, I had pushed behind enemy lines and took down at least five troopers including their captain. I bought enough time for '67 here to lead our platoon to victory" I explained to them while smirking at that memory.

"So then you're here for the Arc Trooper training?" Blitz asked curiously.

"Yeah actually, '67 is here for the Advanced Commander training but I'm here for the Arc Trooper training" I answered while '67 nodded to confirm my story.

"Blitz, '68, and I are hear for Arc Trooper training as well. '24 is here for the Advanced Commander training" Havoc stated contently.

For the next few hours we stayed in the mess hall discussing what would occur on Kamino and stories of our battle on Geonosis. Havoc told of how he 'borrowed' a AAT tank and drove it into a spider droid causing a massive explosion. Blitz recalled when he tackled a B2 and used its laser cannon to destroy two squads of droids. '68 explained how he had commandeered a saber tank and used it to destroy a hellfire droid.  
Everyone was impressed of how I caused one hellfire to crash into another and making a battle droid carrying a rocket launcher to take out one of their own tanks. '67 spoke about running towards a dwarf spider and attaching a thermal det to it while taking down three B1s. When '24 told his story, everyone's mouth just dropped when he explained how he took out three dwarf spiders without firing his blaster. Apparently he was running from one dwarf while it was firing at him causing him to run into another droid. His blaster was broken from a stray blaster shot and he was out of thermal detonators and he was cut off from his platoon. When the new droid had him in its sight he immediately dropped to the ground, the dwarf spider let loose a trio of red bolts slamming the other droid and destroyed it. He then had to get up and ran from the droid that was left standing. Out on the horizon he saw his men so he ran as fast as he could only to run into another dwarf spider droid. The droid that was already chasing him started firing, laser rounds whizzing over '24's shoulder and hitting the eyes of the next DSD. Completely blind but still aware of the enemy in front of him the war machine began firing wildly, missing the trooper and hitting the other droid. Perceiving the separatist machine as a threat, the other DSD fired at the other droid. '24 vaulted over the droid that was in his way while both droids ended up destroying each other. To say we were amazed would be an understatement since any soldier should've died in that situation. We would of continued stories if it wasn't for the fact that the captain of the ship informed us to grab our belongings and to assembly in the hangar since we would at Tippoca City in the next five minutes. We said our goodbyes and left to our rooms to grab our armor and weapons and then to meet in the hangar as instructed.

* * *

**-Location: Hangar D, Tippoca City. Time: 1041-**

"Alright troopers listen up!" Alpha barked, his voice echoing throughout the hangar.

When our ship docked by the hangar, all the Arc and Advanced Commander recruits assembled in front of Alpha. He was wearing standard Arc phase I armor with the same blue details as last time and had two DC pistols holstered and his arms crossed.

"The first thing I want to say to you all is, congratulations. All of you are here either to become Arc Troopers or Advanced Commander training. All of you will be trained by myself, for Arc Troopers you will learn how to lead small teams, go behind enemy lines and be able to operate solo missions if needed. Advanced Commanders will learn how to lead larger amounts of troopers including companies and battalions along with how come up with unique and unorthodox strategies. For now I want all Commanders to report to barracks B5, all Arcs are to follow me" Alpha ordered sternly. Half of the recruits marched towards an exit in the hangar while the rest of the recruits including myself stayed in formation.

"The rest of you head over to simulation room A1" '17 commanded us.

Alpha-17 turned around and marched towards a different exit and the everyone else followed him. A few minutes later we arrived at the sim area of Tippoca City. At the moment we were in front of the building that housed all the sim rooms, Alpha had stopped just before we went inside the building. He turned around to face us.

"Here is how its going to work, two recruits will go inside sim room A1 while everyone else heads to the observing balcony to observe the training battle. Brothers, observer how each battle is won and lost, adapt to changes and be prepared for anything. Now, who will be the first two recruits to fight?" Alpha questioned us.  
Immediately I raised my hand up wanting to improve my skills and impress everyone. '17 saw me and gestured me forward. I walked out of formation and stood right next to him.

"Anyone else?" Alpha asked. Another hand shot out of the crowd, the owner of said had pushed his way through the crowd until he was at the front. He was wearing the standard chalk armor withe emerald details, showing the trooper's rank as sergeant. He had his helmet on and a DC-15s at his side.

"I'd be happy to teach this shiny a lesson sir" the sergeant stated smugly.

"Alright I'll need your names" '17 said calmly.

"Scrapper" the sergeant answered.

"Prowl" I replied. Alpha turned to me and nodded.

"Good to see you again Prowl, lets see if you have improved" Alpha said in a amused tone. "Scrapper and Prowl go inside room A1, the rest of you come with me to the observation platform" '17 ordered.

Alpha then walked over with the rest of the men towards the observation area while Scrapper shoved me aside making his way towards the sim room.

"Oops" Scrapper said in a sarcastic tone. I growled but said nothing, instead I made my way to the sim room as well.

By the time I had reached my side of the sim room Scrapper was already waiting. Scrapper and I were on opposite sides of each other, we would have to hunt each other down. While this sim room wasn't as large as the one my platoon and I used, this one was big enough for just two recruits. The floor was the same grey cube shaped tiles with white details. The layout of the sim was a couple of small 2 story buildings, small trenches and hills all around the room. Obstacles obscured Scrapper from my view and vice versa so that way we would really have to find each other. I turned to the side to see a tower hovering over the open ceiling of the room. I could see Alpha and a few if the recruits gazing at us.

"Alright recruits, begin sim in 3..2..1..GO!" Alpha-17 instructed over the coms system.

Immediately I ran to a small hill in a corner of the sim room. As soon as I was on top I went prone and scanned the field for my opponent.  
Before I looked at half the sim room I saw a small speck of green in a building on the other side of the map. I glanced back at the building to see Scrapper leaning against a window on the second floor with his DC's stock against his shoulder, his gun aiming at me. Not a moment too soon a bright aqua beam erupted from his blaster aiming right for my helmet. I rolled to the side causing the bolt to impact the hill. When I had finished rolling I aimed at Scrapper and let loose two shots. The first one impacted the side of the building while the second hit the ledge of the window. Scrapper immediately took cover behind a wall, using the distraction I slid off the hill and dove into a small trench that was nearby. I raised my head above the trench to see Scrapper at another window on the first floor, searching for a target. My breathe slowed down for me to get a perfect shot, the sights lined up with Scrapper's helmet. Unfortunately the clone sergeant spotted me just when I was about to fire, he let loose a quick burst as I fired a single shot. I ducked back into the trench as the blue bolts slammed into where my head was a moment ago. I put my rifle on my back and pulled out my DC pistol out of my holster and ready myself to jump out of the trench. I vaulted over the trench, rolled into a crouch and swept the area with my blaster. I didn't see any movement but I immediately took cover in the nearest building possible. The first floor of the building had a open door way leading into a room devoid of any furniture, there were stairs off to the side that led to the second floor. I ran up the stair with my pistol aimed in front of me ready for any surprise attacks. The second floor was the same as the first except there were small windows at each wall allowing any soldier to view the surrounding area. I inched towards one of the windows and peaked my head slightly. I saw a patch of green raising slightly above a nearby trench, just staring straight ahead. I quickly aimed with my pistol and fired three shots each hitting the target. Unfortunately for me I realized what I hit was just a helmet.

'Where is he then?!" I thought in panic.

I didn't have to wait long as I heard the sound of a blaster discharging behind me. I ducked to the floor as cerulean beams of light impacted the wall I was standing in front of a moment ago. I rolled to the side and leveled me pistol in the direction of where the shots came from to see Scrapper kneeling in front of me with his blaster aimed at me. Scrapper and I fired at the same time, knocking our weapons out of our hands. Scrapper didn't bother getting his gun and lunged at me, willing to finish this battle in hand to hand combat. I kicked him in the chest causing him to fall on his back while I got up and took my sniper off my back. I stood over him and aimed my rifle at his chest but he swiped my feet from under me, causing me to fall to the ground and knocking my gun out of my hands. I tried getting up but Scrapper placed his foot on my chest and aimed at my head. I could only watch as he smirked smugly and fired a single shot blinding my sight, making me blackout instantly as the pain seared my skull.

* * *

**-few minutes later-**

My eyes began to open slightly, blurry images filling my view. Soon they focused and I could tell Alpha and Scrapper were standing over me. I groaned as I sat up and clutched my head from the pain, surprised at the fact that I wasn't wearing my helmet.

"Told you I'd teach that shiny a lesson" Scrapper stated his voice full of confidence from his achievement. Alpha didn't bother with a reply, instead he socked Scrapper in his stomach. The sergeant immediately doubled over with a gasp of pain and held his stomach. Alpha stared at Scrapper as he recovered, '17's body language showing that he was disgusted. I stood up while this was happening to see the rest of the recruits surrounding us in a circle, we were still in the sim room. Alpha cleared his voice getting everyone's attention before speaking.

"Prowl here" he gestured towards me, "fell for a well devised plan made by Scrapper, but Scrapper made a fatal mistake" Alpha stated in disgust before turning to the trooper that was still kneeling over.

"He got cocky, never, EVER, get cocky. Listen up right now troopers, there is a thin line between being confident and being cocky. You become cocky, you become sloppy, if you're sloppy you end up dead. Remember that. Overall both troopers performed well, I've personally seen how Prowl fights and if Scrapper hadn't tricked him then Prowl would've won. Alright I need two more recruits, everyone else follow me back to the observation balcony" Alpha ordered.

Havoc and another recruit offered to be a part of the next match. We spent a few hours watching different recruits fight against each other, Havoc's match ended rather quickly. Havoc was a superb marksman, using his DC-15a he fired two shots into his opponent's helmet. Alpha stated that Havoc needed to work more on close quarters since he already excelled at long range. Then '68 and Blitz ended sparring against one another.  
It ended when Blitz tackled '68 and fired a quick burst into the trooper. Alpha complimented Blitz's tactic but warned it may cost his life one day. He then told '68 his nickname should be Colt, for his inexperience in fighting solo missions but also for his motivation to learn and adapt. During the time we stayed in the balcony Scrapper kept glaring at me from time to time, he already beat me once so I glared back to show I wasn't going to back down. When the last match had ended, Alpha had us all gather outside the sim building. We lined up in parade formation while he praised certain recruits' abilities while giving advice to other recruits who fell short. He told Colt to practice sims where he went up against multiple opponents and had to fight by himself. He then advised me to be cautious to potential traps and told Scrapper to cool his ego or else he would die. He then dismissed us to head over to the mess hall or barracks B5. I had already ate so I began to walk over to the barracks. While I was walking I felt someone violent bump into me. I stumbled slightly before looking at who caused this. It was Scrapper, his weapon and helmet at his sides revealing his shaved head and slight beard. His eyes betrayed the intense hatred towards me.

"You better watch it shiny, I'm not letting my career get ruined by some lucky punk that is favored by Alpha" the sergeant stated in disgust.

"Luck ain't got nothing to do with it and he doesn't favor me . Alpha recognizes my skill, something you don't have" I retorted darkly.

I then turned around and walked away, not bothering to waste my time. Scrapper didn't say anything not that I cared anyway.

* * *

**-Location: Barracks B5, Tippoca city. Time:1122-**

It was a short walk to get over to the barracks that was designated for us, on the way there I ran into other Arc recruits along with clone cadets and Kaminoan scientists. I walked inside the building to be welcomed to the standard white that was always present in Kaminoan designs. There was a large open space that had a large mat for training in hand to hand combat, a couple terminals for access and a large window taking up the right side of the wall, looking out to the open sea. To the left was a hallway that lead to where the rooms for the Arc and Advance Commander recruits where staying. From the data pad he read on the way here, I would be staying in a room with '67 and two other clones. I walked down to where my room was and the gray door opened automatically. Inside the room, the floor was a dull gray along with the walls and ceiling. There were two bunk beds, one on each side along with four lockers on the right side of the room. I put my armor and weapons in one of the lockers that wasn't occupied. I then changed into the standard maroon and light blue suit troopers always wore while they were stationed on Kamino. I laid down on the top bunk on the left and closed my eyes.

* * *

**-Location: Barracks B5, Tippoca City. Time: 0680, three days later-**

For the last three days, Arc Trooper training was pretty set. Each day would start off with three hours of two teams competing against each other in unorthodox situations that might occur in combat. From hostage rescue to sabotage and assassination, we had begun to learn any and all possibilities in the known galaxy. Then afterwards we spend some time in classrooms learning from holograms and data on key information on possible threats while on the battlefield as well as cultural knowledge on the different alien civilizations. Needless to say this training was constantly taxing both physically and mentally. From what '67 told me, it wasn't any easier for him either. His first day he had to lead a platoon of clone cadets against a company of veteran troopers. So all in all, '67 had to fight 90 experienced soldiers with fresh recruits. My brother and his men had managed to take down a third of the company but were all taken out. It was funny for me because '67 wouldn't stop gripping about when he returned to our room, he got more pissed off when I laughed at him. Our other two room mates would just stare at us like we were idiots, not that we cared though. Today seemed to be a different from our standard training, Alpha had called us all to the armory for Arc Troopers but he didn't explain why. At the moment the Arc recruits and I were standing idly by while we waited for Alpha to arrive. The gun gray interior of the armory gave the room a cold vibe. There were two tables at the front of the armory, most likely to be used for maintaining weapons. There were also stacks of weapons and crates containing ammunition, to the back of the armory were a few dozen steel seats where the recruits and I were currently sitting in. A side door suddenly parted to, Alpha walked inside and stood in between the two tables. As soon as he stopped all the recruits snapped a quick salute.

"Sir!" We all shouted in unison.

"At ease" '17 calmly replied, everyone sat back down while he pulled one of the weapon crates onto the table. It was a long rectangular box that had a sleek chrome finish. The Arc trooper opened it and pulled out a DC-15a rifle, laying it on the other table before addressing us.

"Alright recruits listen up, you may have learned basic weapons training when you were all cadets but we will be going into the finer details of each and every weapon available to Arcs along with their modifications" The experienced trooper explained calmly.

"DC-15a, rifle blaster of the galactic republic, standard issue. Comes equipped with a charge pack that contains 50 shots. More powerful than the carbine variant of the DC and better range, this weapon is suited for long range firefights and engagements. The modifications that can be used include a scope used to increase accuracy, grip or bipod to increase stability while firing, pump action missile launcher for use against vehicles or heavy concentrations of droids. Any questions?" Alpha asked us all.

No one raised their hands, most troopers had a thoughtful expression and were digesting the information he gave us. The Arc Trooper proceeded to go over other weapons that were at our disposal including the new Z-6 rotary cannon and the Westar m-5 rifle. The m-5 rifle was a work of art, fully automatic and capable of burst fire, an enhanced scope equal to the DC sniper rifle and enough penetration to go through an AAT tank. The rifle itself was matte black, it had a long cylindrical barrel, its charge pack was a small circle sitting in a rectangular case. It had a large stock compared to the small body of the weapon and the scope sat on top of the body of the gun **(think of the Westar m-5 rifle that the blue arc troopers used in star wars the clone wars 2003 series)**.

"Alright then, today you will be choosing your weapon to use from now on as an Arc Trooper. If you chose to you may modify it, the choice is yours. Now pick your nee best friend for the duration of this war" '17 ordered, he then stood to the back of the wall and pressed a button.

Suddenly all of our seats began to lower themselves to the ground, everyone stood up and watched as the floor parted to drag the chairs into darkness. Then a small table lifted up and stopped at our waist level and the floor closed itself.

"Use these table to work and examine the weapon you pick, when you're done come to me" Alpha explained to everyone. Immediately the recruits moved towards the weapon crates that were stacked around us, looking for the weapon that they desired. I scanned the room until I found a crate labeled 'W-M5'. I picked up the chrome crate and placed it at my table, after opening examining my new rifle I grabbed it and walked over to Alpha.

"Head down the hall, you'll find a shooting range. Get some practice with your new weapons, you'll need it for the new exercise today" Alpha explained to me and the few other Arc recruits behind me.

We headed out the door that was on the side of the armory leading into a silver and white hallway illuminated by neon white orbs of light. At the end of the hallway was an open hole in the wall leading to the firing range our CO was referring to. The entire room was the same texture as the sim rooms, dark grey tiles separated by a white line. There was a small with connected to a table that we were supposed to stand behind. There was also a small control panel different sections of the barricade to move the robotic targets. The targets themselves were placed around a field of obstacles and small constructed buildings similar to the other sim room we had been in at the beginning of training. The targets were roughly humanoid size and had silver armor plating. I walked up to the barricade, switching the M-5's setting to single fire and aimed at the closest target. I used the scope to sight the target's head, my skills as a sniper drilled into my habits. I fired a single neon blue laser, beaming straight into the object causing white sparks to fly. I couldn't describe it but the gun felt right to me, as if I was meant to have it. I quickly switched the firing mode to burst and sank 9 shots into the next target at 50 yards. Each shot landed dead center into the target, causing the the other Arc recruits to stare at me in amazement from the accuracy I displayed.

"Oh I could get used to this" I told myself while grinning in excitement.

"Don't let it get to your head Prowl" I heard a voice call out from behind me in amusement.

I turned around abruptly to see '67 standing behind me with his arms crossed and a smirk written on his face. His armor was different the last time I saw him, he had a pauldron around his left shoulder that was painted blue, a grey kama wrapped around his legs, two holsters for blaster pistols, and a range finder on the side of his head. His armor was also different, instead of having maroon details he now had navy blue lines on his armor. He had his helmet in his arms, blue jaig eyes painted in the middle of it.

"Hey '67, nice armor. Why did you change it?" I questioned him curiously while holding my new rifle against my shoulder. My CO and friend merely shrugged.

"Alpha had all the Commander recruits pick out customized armor, the jaig eyes I received for being an exceptional recruit" my brother boasted proudly while I rolled my eyes.  
He noticed this and jabbed his elbow into my stomach, I backed away slightly from the surprise attack but then slugged him hard in the shoulder.

"Anyways, are you ready for the training exercise?" '67 asked while putting on his helmet.

"What is the exercise? Alpha hasn't explained it, he only told us to test out our new weapons" I explained to him.

"Myself and another Commander recruit will be leading the Arc recruits divided into two teams for a skirmish" he explained as the rest of the Arc recruits came into the room. I turned to him and grinned, excitement from today's exercise coursing through me.

"Then this will be fun, I hope I'm on your team. I'd hate to beat you" I stated jokingly while holding out my hand to him. He gripped it firmly and stared at me, his body language showing that he was amused.

"Please, the only reason you have ever been decent was from my leadership skill" he replies with a chuckle.

* * *

**Author &amp; character discussion**

**me: Well hey there guys :) I've seen many authors have themselves and their characters have like discussions so I figured I'd do the same**

**Prowl: Its about time you updated! Man I felt like a gungan had more of a life than me at some point :/**

**'67: quit your complaining Prowl, man sometimes I wonder how you even made Arc trooper**

**Prowl: Because of my amazing skills of course B)**

**me: or because I decided you were going to be an Arc trooper, don't forget I can turn you into a short little jawa whenever I want**

**Prowl: *gasp* you wouldn't!? :o**

**me: *prepares new story where prowl is turned into a jawa* you feeling lucky shiny?**

**Prowl: *begins to sweat profusely* um I'm sure we can uh work something out**

**'67: I feel sorry for you**

**me: well that's all for today guys, currently I'm writing another story and I plan on writing another one so It might take a while before I update but I will continue writing this story, please review :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's notes: Well its been a while and for once I can say it isn't writers block. Work and college has kept me from fully finishing this chapter until now. I don't know when the next chapter will be posted but I will continue this story. I have big plans for this and I hope you all like it.**

* * *

**-Location: Armory/war room, Tippoca City. Time:0789-**  
'67 and I continued to chat as the area for the firing range continued to fill up with more and more Arc recruits. Eventually the entire class of recruits was practicing with their new weapons, getting a feel for the modified blasters and Arc tech. Eventually Alpha walked in towards the front of everyone, causing the group to fall in formation at attention. '67 and another Advanced commander recruit stood to the left and right of Alpha. It seemed like it was '24, the commander recruit from when we boarded the acclamator ship from Geonosis.

"Alright recruits, todays exercise will consist of two teams being led by the two Advanced recruits. The commanders will choose who they get on their teams. CT-7567, since you have succeeded in the last exercise against CC-2224, you get first pick on what Arc recruit is on your team" The Arc Trooper explained calmly. '67 chuckled before stepping forward.

"Prowl! Stop grinning like an idiot and get over here" He called out to the crowd of troopers. The crowd looked to each other in confusion before I walked past everyone and nudged '67 in the shoulder. Unfortunately for me I was grinning the entire time when I heard '67 could pick first.

"How did you know I was grinning?" I asked my brother while chuckling slightly.

"C'mon we were born in the same group of brothers, how could I not know you by now?" He asked rhetorically before watching '24 pick his first team member.

All in all, the teams were divided up evenly. '67 had picked Colt, Havoc, Blitz, and myself along with 26 other recruits while '24 got 30 recruits including Scrapper. Scrapper and I still don't see eye to eye, whenever we fight against one another in exercises one of us wins but then the next day its the other trooper succeeding. I watch Alpha press a button on his wrist device, causing the small barricade that blocked the firing range and all the targets we were shooting at sunk into the floor. All the recruits watched as the rest of the room began to expand into a large flat grey field. The crowd of clones began to murmur in wonder of what the battlefield would look like for the upcoming exercise, quickly their curiosity was sated. Small one and two story buildings began to form in random spots while hills and plateaus rose above the field. There was even a couple sniper towers across the area along with two large four story buildings. Once again Alpha cleared his throat to gain everyones attention.

"Both teams we start off in the one of the large buildings to serve as an HQ/barracks. At the sound of the bell both hears a ring, both teams will spread out and eliminate the other team to secure victory. However, should a member of one team get to the top of the opposing team HQ/barracks, then the attacking team wins. Any questions?" Alpha asked calmly towards us. One of the recruits raised their hand.

"Sir what about the missile launchers some of us have?" The clone asked while gesturing to his rifle with the attachment.

"Inside the barracks their should be cases of small electro dud rounds, they work the same as a stun shot. Anymore questions?" The commander asked once more. When no one said anything he nodded and headed out through the door we all went through. Both teams dispersed and went to their separate bases. It took about 15 minutes for us to reach our base, '67 gathered all of us around on the first floor of our base.

"Ok I don't know how much time we have but I have a plan, I need someone to lead a small team while everyone else is with me" my best friend explained calmly. Before anyone could volunteer I stepped forward in front of my friend. He merely nodded at me, not surprised that I would volunteer.

"Alright who here has a missile launcher?" Our CO questioned causing two recruits to step forward. '67 then turned back to me.

"I want you to take these recruits along with two more troopers and head across the west side of the map and try to infiltrate the enemy barracks. Have your troopers take as many electro dud rounds as they can carry and cause chaos if you come across any enemy soldiers. Pick your two men" '67 ordered quickly knowing that we are running out of time.

"Havoc and Blitz you're with me" I called our causing the men I first met on the way to training. '67 then went on to tell 5 volunteers to guard the building and the rest of the team to follow him. By the time all orders were issued a bell had gone off, my team and I immediately headed west while '67 had his men spread out. We went to the left as far as possible so we didn't catch the attention of the other team. Coming up in front of us was a sniper tower which would really help us out.

"Havoc! Get to the top of the tower, rest of you form a perimeter" I ordered immediately. Havoc sprinted ahead of us and headed up the ramp into the sniper tower while the rest of formed a forward facing perimeter. I turned to the two new troopers that were armed with the missile launchers attachments on their rifles.

"Hey what are your names or numbers?" I asked calmly.

"CT-4590" the trooper closest to me replied.

"Dagger" the next trooper called out.

I nodded and began to consider how we would manage to get to the enemy headquarters.

"Prowl! We got 3 troopers running over here" Havoc called out to us. Everyone tensed up and raised their weapons to our front while I began looking for a way to ambush them. Nearby there was a small trench and a small barricade, in front of the sniper tower.

"Blitz and Dagger take the trench. '90 you're with me" I ordered as '90 and I ran over to the barricade with the other two diving into the trench. I activated a private comm channel and linked everyone in the fire team to it.

"Alright this what we will do, Havoc keep track of the enemy let us know where they are. When they are in range we all fire at the same time, switch your guns to semi I don't want to let the enemy know where we are" I explained to everyone.

"Yes sir" they all replied calmly.

"Yes sir? Hm I could get used to that" I stated with a chuckle, not knowing I was still on the comm channel.

"Well don't get too comfortable, you're basically the same rank as the rest of us" Havoc answered, his tone suggesting that he was joking.

"Cut the chatter soldier" I commanded, impersonating a CO.

"Ok you're getting tackled for that" Blitz stated half threateningly causing everyone to start laughing at the threat. Soon we all quieted down when we saw the approaching troopers. Each were armed with modified DC-15s with longer barrels.

"Wait for my shot, after that everyone open up on the rest" I whispered over the comms, everyone sent an affirmative signal back.

The trio of enemy combatants began to come closer and closer towards the trench, they had their weapons half raised in case of an ambush. Just when they were about to look inside the trench the sound of a full on firefight erupted to the south of us. It was most likely the sound of the main groups of soldiers fighting one another. The sound caused the three troopers to glance in the direction that the fire was coming from.

"Fire!" I shouted into the comm while firing a single shot towards the closest trooper.

The blue bolt impacted the Arc recruit's helmet causing him to collapse to the ground. The remaining soldiers turned to fire at me but were pelted by the rest of the fire team. With the scout party of soldiers knocked out, we secured the area before I began to relay orders.

"Havoc stay on over watch, Dagger and Blitz hide the bodies. '90 cover me" I spoke quickly while opening a channel to '67. He replied instantly but it sounded like a war zone on his end.

"What do you need Prowl I'm a bit busy here!" He shouted desperately while a burst of blaster fire could be heard going off.

"My team and I jus took out a small scout team heading towards your flank, just wanted to let you know" I spoke calmly while I motioned for my team to gather round.

"Copy that thanks for the intel, Colt! Take two men and watch our right flank we may have some company" I could hear my brother yell towards one of his men before the line disconnected. I then turn towards everyone.

"Ok so '67 has already been engaged by the main forces so we need to head to their HQ, with any luck we can end this fight before we lose too many men. Blitz cover the rear. Havoc Dagger and '90 take the center I'm on point, move out" I commanded while immediately walking fast towards the general direction of the enemy base.

The troopers quickly fell into formation as we continued our trek towards our objective. The main battle going on towards the center of the field was growing louder as the fight intensified, the enemy HQ began to loom over our head causing us to slow in our walking speed as to not walk into an enemy soldier. Off to the side a nearby trench that had the view of almost the entire building. We all dove into it, taking advantage of the excellent cover that would help us in our fight. '90 and Dagger had their rifles pointed towards the enemy line while Blitz, Havoc, and I began to discuss our strategy.

"So anyone have suggestions?" I asked calmly over the sound of a large firefight taking place nearby.

"We could rush the enemy, they won't know what hit them" Blitz stated confidently while closing his fist into the palm of his other hand. Havoc shook his head in disagreement.

"We don't know how many troopers are in the building or nearby, we could walk right into an ambush. I suggest that we send in a scout to gather intel and then pick off any enemy soldiers from a distance" Havoc recommended. Before anyone could say anything else I spoke first.

"Both are good strategies so we will combine them. Blitz, your with me, we're going to rush the enemy position. Havoc, take '90 and Dagger, find some high ground where you can provide support for us. When you are in position, radio us and we'll attack" I explained to my men.

Both Arc recruits nodded in agreement, Havoc tapping the shoulder of both of his men and leading them to the nearest building. Meanwhile Blitz and I had our weapons pointed to the enemy base, watching for any enemy targets. Suddenly my comm began to beep indicating I was being hailed. I opened the channel to hear the immense battle that was taking place.

"Prowl! Whats your status?!" '67 yelled desperately into the comm over the whine and high pitch discharge from blaster fire.

"My team and I are about to assault the enemy HQ, how are things on your end?" I asked, concern evident in my voice seeing as how things weren't looking too good.

"We've lost about a dozen troopers and we are being pushed back to our base, the enemy has lost about ten soldiers but they are using those pump missile launchers on us. Attack their HQ, if you can get to the top then victory is ours" '67 explained, in the background I could hear Colt rallying the men to stand fast.

"Copy" I spoke calmly while ending the channel. As soon as I did I received another hail. I answered the hail to hear Havoc's voice.

"We're in position, ready when you are" He explained, his voice slightly raised in anticipation for the fight.  
I turned to Blitz while switching of the comm channel.

"Ready?" I asked him while grinning under my helmet.

Blitz nodded and sprinted forward taking point. I ran after him struggling to keep up, I was beginning to see how he had gotten his name. Just when we had made it within a few feet to the base three troopers on the second floor popped out and opened fire on us. Blitz and I had to leapfrog back to the trench we were in previously by one trooper firing back at the enemy while the other would retreat. We kept this process up all the way back to the trench were we dove into it to avoid getting blasted.

"Havoc where is that support!?" I screamed into my helmet while Blitz returned fire sporadically.

"Support is on the way" Havoc stated calmly.

Immediately Blitz and I heard a muffled thump. We looked up and watched as a small sky blue object soared in the air and hit one of the troopers that was shooting at us. A arc of electricity began to surge around the three troopers, simulating the blast range of the missile launchers. All three troopers collapsed to the ground from the shock of the dud round.

"Need anything else, sir?" Havoc asked, his tone indicating his smugness from saving us.

"Blitz feel free to tackle Havoc after we win this exercise," I stated in a serious tone.

"With pleasure sir" Blitz stated in a determined voice.

Immediately I jumped out of the trench with my rifle raised towards the enemy base with Blitz right behind me. We ran as fast as we could with our weapons aimed in front of us, clearing the first floor completely before preparing to move to the second floor. Blitz and I stacked up against the wall leading to the next floor. Blitz tapped my shoulder letting me know he was ready to move. I rushed up the stairs while Blitz covered me, an enemy trooper popped out with a modified carbine aimed for my skull. I dropped onto the stairs while Blitz put two shots into the clone's chest. I got up after I heard the body drop and I ran towards the entrance for the second floor. I began to sweep the room with my rifle only to have it knocked out of my hand by a kick. I turned to my attacker only to receive a punch to the face knocking me to the ground. I was dazed by my attack that I couldn't tell who it was when I felt a blaster press up against my helmet.

I waited for it to fire but was surprised to hear Blitz roar at my attacker and suddenly the blaster was off me and a scuffle could be heard nearby. I slowly got up to my feet, slightly dazed from what just occurred, to see Blitz in a hand to hand fight with Scrapper. Blitz launched a quick jab but Scrapper blocked it with his forearm and then countered with a right cross. The punch hit my teammate right in the chest, causing him to let out the air in his lungs as he was pushed backwards. By then I had ran to Blitz's side to back him up, helping him steady himself while Scrapper stared us down.

"Prowl let me take him on, when I bring him to the ground run upstairs and reach the top" Blitz suggested while cracking his knuckles.

"No, I'll take him and hold him off. You're the better CQB expert, we don't know if there are any other soldiers on the upper floors" I countered while stepping towards Scrapper causing him to get into a battle stance.

"What are you going to do?" Blitz questioned while getting ready to run.

"I'm gona take a page from your book" I replied while grinning. I then ran at Scrapper, surprising him by tackling him to the ground and then throwing punch after punch into his helmet.

Blitz immediately took off while laughing at what just occurred. I continues punching Scrapper until he managed to block my fists and then kicked me off. I rolled away and got to my feet just as Scrapper unsteadily got to his feet. I kept my fists up while my rival shook his head.

"You're a real pain in the ass Prowl" Scrapper stated while raising his own fists.

"And you're an arrogant ass" I retorted in disdain.

Scrapper didn't bother to respond and instead Immediately ran at me. When he got close enough he swung his left fist towards my head. I ducked underneath the hit and countered with an uppercut, causing him to stumble backwards. I pressed onwards and threw a haymaker only for Scrapper to block it and then kick right into my chest. I doubled over from the pain despite wearing armor, Scrapper followed up with a knee to my face. The impact caused me to collapse to the ground in pain and shock, by the time I looked up I saw the barrel of a blaster in my face.

"Any last words shiny?" Scrapper asked smugly while pressing the weapon against my helmet. Before I could reply I heard the intercom crackle to life.

"All recruits, the exercise is over. CT-7567's team has won he exercise, meet outside the sim room" Alpha stated calmly, causing the room to erupt into cheers from my team. I grinned as Scrapper lowered his weapon, his body language conveying his frustration.

"Yeah, you lost" I replied in joy from having beaten Scrapper indirectly. I walked over and picked up my rifle as Blitz ran down towards me. I turned towards him and held out my hand to him, he clasped it firmly and started laughing.

"Thats how it's done!" Blitz stated in cheerful tone.

"Damn right thats how its done. Although next time you can take the bad guy, I think I'm going to be sore in the morning" I said while rubbing the part of my armor where I got kicked. Blitz laughed from my statement and shook his head.

"What kind of trooper where you before you got here?" He asked while he began walking towards the exit.

"Sniper" I answered calmly.

"Ah, that explains, well we will have to fix that later" Blitz proposed while slinging his arm around my shoulder.

We finally arrived where all the recruits had gathered, in front of the crowd was Alpha. Blitz and I merged with the crowd as we listened to our mentor give advice and review how the exercise went for both teams. At the end, '67 had lost 14 men while '24 had taken 13 casualties, '17 went on to demonstrate how each commander could've prevented such losses. The Arc commander further went to explain that the small team '24 had sent to flank our team was outnumbered and outgunned considering the size and nature of the target. '17 then went on to praise '67 for sending a fire-team to take down the actual enemy base was an amazing idea. Unfortunately he then went and brought up the fist fight I had with Scrapper, stating it was reckless to try and fight the guy who was better in CQC when Blitz could've helped. The comment did make a few of the troopers chuckle but I didn't let it bother me, I had still helped my brother and our team win.

* * *

**-Location: Hangar D. Time: one month later, 1136-**  
It had been a brutal month going through the final stages of the Arc training. We had to complete physical endurance tests, hand to hand fighting exercises, suicide mission scenarios including fighting off 5 destroyer droids with only a blaster pistol and a droid popper, and finally a basic course on flying star ships. The last part of training was alright but everything else was in a literal sense hell. Finally though it was over, the training had come to an end and the entire graduating class of Arc Recruits and Advanced Commanders were at parade rest with their shiny new armor and weapons. My armor was the standard phase I Arc trooper armor with a night vision/range finder attached to the right side of my helmet, a pauldron covering both shoulders and a kama around my waist. '17 had allowed us to customize our armor, I choose to color my armor in cyan. I had a single line going down from my shoulder to my wrists, my entire shin and boot colored and a grinning shark teeth decal lining the bottom portion of my helmet, the teeth being cyan and the inside of the mouth was black. Two simple cyan eyes were on the top portion of my helmet on either side of the crest and the creat being cyan as well. The new armor came with extra pouches on the utility belt and pauldron for ammo and other various supplies as well as being stronger and more durable than the standard phase I armor. Alpha had allowed us all one modification to our Arc armor which included wrist rocket launchers and flamethrowers, I had personally chosen a jetpack that had cyan detailing. My new Westar blaster rifle was slung across my back while two holsters for DC pistols were attached to my kama.

'All this time and effort was worth it for getting all this new gear' I thought to myself in appreciation.

At the moment we were waiting for Alpha to arrive to send us off. Not a moment too soon the Arc Trooper had arrived, we all snapped to attention as he walked calmly to the front of the group and turned towards us.

"At ease," he ordered, immediately everyone stood at parade rest.

"I have to say, it has been an honor to train such a fine batch of some of the Republic's best soldiers. The war with the separatist has just opened up only some time ago, now the war has broken out through most of the outer rim. The Republic is going to need elite troopers like yourselves to lead the way to victory. Fight hard and fight for your brothers. Get aboard the acclamator for transport to Coruscant, you will receive further orders once you arrive" '17 concluded before snapping a salute to all of us before walking out of the room.

Everyone was silent before the first troopers started to walk towards the landing ramp of the star ship. Alpha's words really hit me, we wouldn't just be in a single battle anymore, we would be in tens if not hundreds of battles to save the very galaxy and we were supposed to be the best troops we had.

'Thats a lot of pressure' I wondered grimly.

Suddenly I felt an arm around my shoulder. I turned to see that it was my brother '67, who had finally found a name for himself as Rex, but he wouldn't tell me why that name.

"Just you and me brother, now that Colt, Blitz, and Havoc are staying to help train new troopers," Rex said.

"Yeah I'm going to miss those guys but I just want to get back to the rest of our brothers. I wonder what Denal is doing right now?" I asked out loud.

"Speaking of which, I wonder who our general will be during the war?" Rex pointed out, causing me to stop and wonder.

"Well only one way to find out" I shrugged while we made our way inside the transport ship.

* * *

**-Location: Grand Army of the Republic garrison. Time: 1000-**

It felt like an eternity before our ship had arrived at the center of the Republic civilization. At the moment, Rex and I were walking in a tube of sorts that was connected to the hang of the ship that brought us. We had received orders to head to Loading Bay K3, where the rest of our platoon was as well as several other platoons. All the troopers including us were being folded into a legion called the 501st. Being the only captain ranked clone in the legion, Rex was given a list of all the troopers that would be under his command. Out of all the troopers besides him, I was the highest rank besides a few sergeants including Denal. Turns out he was promoted after the battle of Geonosis. Rex was engrossed in the list and other information while I took in the sights of what was around me. We where now walking along a corridor with windows on one side of the wall, allowing a view of the military base. Multiple gunships flew above the base while Republic cruisers docked at landing areas and troopers and technicians moved back and forth in the corridor. We found ourselves outside in the open as we found a loading area holding a Venator class cruiser and the symbol 'K3' on the wall of the loading area. A large group of clone troopers in white armor were standing by a ramp leading into the star ship. As we approached them, one of the troopers turned and saw us, the soldier immediately stood at attention. This caused all the other troopers to turn and do the same. Rex and I returned the salute when we were close enough to them.

"At ease" Rex called out casually.

There was some commotion in the crowd as a trooper with blue details on his armor and a few troopers walked out towards us. The blue clone seemed familiar but I couldn't put my finger on it.

" '67! Its great to see you again. Hey where is Prowl and who is the Arc Trooper?" The clone trooper questioned while the other men crowded around us. Then it had hit me, it was Denal from our platoon.

"The name is Rex now Denal and Prowl is standing right next to me," Rex said, amusement evident in his voice.  
Denal turned to me and just stood there for a bit before shaking his head.

"So they really did promote you to Arc Trooper," Denal groaned in frustration.

I had hold myself from chuckling from his obvious annoyance, especially considering that I said I would be Arc Trooper before him.

"Ah don't let it get you down brother, I'm sure you'll catch up a few days before the war is over," I said playfully while punching him in the shoulder.

All the troopers laughed at Denal's misfortune, even Rex chuckled. When everyone settled down we heard someone clear their throat behind us.  
We turned to see two men standing behind us. The man in front was wearing a dark blue tunic that had light armor around the chest and shoulder plates. He also wore dark brown boots. The man's right arm was bulkier than the other indicating a prothetic limb. His hair was slightly loose and a dark shade of brown with his eyes also being brown. There was also a slight scar going down his right eye. The other man wore a khaki tunic, simple clone armor for arms, shoulder, and legs, and had a brown utility belt. The man had a substantial amount of facial hair and the hair on his head was uniformed and orderly compared to his companion. The thing that stood out to us both was that both men had a small metal cylinder on their belts, signifying them as Jedi. We all instantly snapped a salute to our commanding officers. The Jedi in the dark tunic seemed uncomfortable before waving away our salute. We all stood at attention while the general tried to gather his words.

"Would the two high ranking troopers step forward please?" The Jedi asked politely. Immediately Rex and I stood in front of him.

"Sir! CT-7567 awaiting orders" Rex introduced himself.

"Sir! ARC-7562 at your service" I stated.

The Jedi scratched the back of his head and looked to his friend who merely shrugged his shoulders.

"Um..do you men have names?" The Jedi asked uncomfortably.

Rex and I looked at each other in surprise before looking back at our superior officer.

"My name is Rex," Rex explained.

"My brothers call me Prowl," I answered.

"Good, I would like both of you to stand at my side during introductions," The Jedi instructed us. We both followed his orders, I stood on his left while Rex was on his right. The other Jedi stood next to Rex.

"Alright men, My name is Anakin Skywalker, you will refer to me as General Skywalker. My fellow Jedi is General Kenobi. Um..not sure what else to say, I've never done this before..," General Skywalker muttered while scratching the back of his head.

"You could always improvise sir," I whispered to my commanding officer. The General looked at me curiously while Rex glared at me like I was a moron.

"I think we are going to get along just fine trooper. Troopers! I will be leading you during this war and we are going to blast the Separatists back across ever system they occupy! Who is with me?" General Skywalker shouted after giving a short but inspiring speech.

"WE'RE WITH YOU SIR!" The entire group of clone troopers cried out in excitement and determination.

"Good! All NCO troopers please stay with me for a moment, everyone else board the cruiser and settle in," General Skywalker commanded.

All the troopers began to walk over to the cruiser while Rex, myself, Denal and several other officers stayed behind and formed a circle around the General. Our leader began to ask us of our rank and how we usually performed during battles. Because of his rank, Rex was automatically second in command of the entire clone legion. Myself, for being an Arc Trooper, would be Rex's second in command and I would also be in charge of a platoon from time to time. The structure of the legion was different from how things were run back in training, now sergeants would be able to lead platoons instead of just captains and lieutenants. After everything was sorted out, we all began to walk over to the ship. Rex, Denal and I began to catch up since we had been separated for a while. Turns out Denal had been promoted to sergeant. I would joke that I wouldn't be too harsh on Denal when I was in charge of him. All in all, it felt good to have the three of us back together, somehow it just felt that we would get through this war alive and in one piece.

* * *

**Author's discussion:**

**author: Ah, its good to be back**

**Denal: yeah especially for everyone else, tell me why is it that i'm just a sergeant while Rex and Prowl are highly trained soldiers?!**

**Prowl: because your not as awesome B)**

**author: I'm at the keyboard right now Prowl, I wonder how much you would like being a short midget running around on tatooine**

**Prowl: -shuts up-**

**Rex: one day Prowl, you are going to bite off more than you can chew**

**Prowl: -swings arms around Rex's and Denal's shoulders- yeah but that's why I have brothers like you two**

**Denal: I should've let you get blasted by that bug in the first few chapters**


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's notes: Man I can't believe it took a month to update this story but I'm glad I did. First I want to just give a big thanks to Mandalore the freedom, seriously just wow what a person for helping me, giving me info on Mandalorians, planets, death watch, he even gave an oc which I will be using in the story later on. Mandalore the freedom writes his own stories some involving star wars I recommend checking them out they are worth reading. Now go read the story.**

* * *

**-Location: in orbit over Christophsis. Time: 1023-**

It had been a few months since my brothers and I started fighting under the command of General Skywalker. Unlike his comrade in arms, General Kenobi, our general had a habit of using unorthodox tactics and strategies. It was perfectly fine with me, Rex on the other hand, took a while to get used to. Eventually he adapted to our General's form of running things but he would still occasionally get frustrated at some of the ridiculous things that we did in combat. At the moment our battalion was aboard a acclamator assault ship preparing to make landfall. General Kenobi's fleet had just destroyed the blockade around the planet while General Skywalker was already on the surface of the planet meeting with a senator. Denal and I were in our rooms, Denal checking his equipment while I was polishing my Westar. Denal glanced at me and groaned in annoyance.

"Prowl how many times are you going to polish that stupid blaster of yours?" Denal questioned.

"Shut up brother, you're just jealous of my new gear" I boasted while hefting my blaster.

"I think you're letting all the fancy perks of being an Arc go to your head brother" Denal suggested while shaking his head.  
I looked at him and then back to my rifle and shrugged. He can't blame me, Arc gear is some pretty awesome stuff especially the Westar rifle.

"501st LEGION! ALL MEMBERS GATHER YOUR EQUIPMENT AND REPORT TO THE HANGAR!" The intercom went off.

Denal and I looked at each other rapidly putting on our armor and grabbing our blasters. We quickly ran out of our room, racing towards the hangar. Along the way several other troopers ran with us until we finally managed to get in the hangar. Gunship pilots were prepping their vehicles while AT-TE crews climbed into their vehicles. Captain Rex was standing near a small group of gunships with the rest of the legion in front of him. Denal joined the crowd of troopers while I joined Rex's side. Rex cleared his voice to get everyone's attention, when the men settled down he pulled out a hologram projector and activated it. Immediately a small, blue version of General Skywalker appeared.

"Good to see you all again. As you have probably heard already our battalion along with Kenobi's will be saving this planet from the Separatists. While Kenobi mops up the rest of the droid fleet, you will secure a perimeter for our base to be created. Rex has the coordinates for where you will be landing. The area has a good defensible position but there is a weakness in the design. To the north of the perimeter there is a large road that could allow the droids on the ground to send their troops and tanks to attack. One platoon must hold the area while the rest of the men secure the base," General Skywalker explained.

"Prowl, take Denal and his men to hold the road," Rex ordered. I nodded and motioned for Denal and his troops to stand at my side.

"At the moment I will be escorting senator Organa to Kenobi's flagship. Afterwards I will assist Prowl and his forces. Once the base is secured we will assemble proper scout and patrol teams. Dismissed," General Skywalker concluded. The device then turned off, leaving us troopers alone.

"I will transmit the coordinates to all the gunship pilots. Prowl's gunships will land directly at the road. Any questions?" Rex asked.

"What weapons will be armed with?" Denal questioned.

"Standard firearms, thermal detonators and a tripod mounted cannon," our captain replied.

"No rocket launchers?" I wondered out loud.

"Our armory doesn't have any rocket launchers, we have to make do with the supplies we have. Prowl's team will make landfall before the rest of battalion. Everyone move out!" Rex ordered.

I immediately moved to one of the two gunships that were separated from the rest. Denal and his soldiers followed right behind me.

"Denal I want you in one gunship while I go in a separate one. Have some of your men get the cannon," I said to my brother.

"Got it Prowl," Denal replied. He immediately sent off two of his men to gather the weapon.

After some time all our gear was stowed away onto the gunships. Rex was getting the rest of the battalion ready for when they would land. When Denal nodded at me, I nodded back and told the pilot we were ready to go. Denal's platoon and I immediately got inside the airships just as the doors on them closed. The pilot then spoke a fee words into the comm to the acclamator's deck officer. Suddenly a loud groan could be heard as the hangar door began to open. As soon as it was fully opened, our gunships took off. The blast shields were stil open so we could see the hexagonal style skyscrapers of Christophsis. Before this planet would've been considered a beautiful world to live in, now it was full of rubble and debris from explosions and bombs. A large plaza could be seen, most likely where the base would be constructed. To the north of the plaza was a large road capable of allowing a droid tank column move in rows of two.

"Pilot! Land us at any building closest to the road," I shouted over the humm of the gunships engines.

The pilot nodded and the ship began to descend to the landing zone. As soon as we were on the ground the LAAT doors opened. All the troopers rushed out immediately and ran to the skyscraper closest to us. Denal and his troops followed us a few seconds later since they had to carry the tripod cannon.

"Suggestions Prowl?" Denal asked as soon as he was in cover.

I thought about it while looking at the equipment most of the troops had. Half of them had DC carbines while the rest had the rifle variant. The carbines would be good in close quarters while the rifles would be perfect for long range. Then the tripod cannon had the best range out of all their weapons and could punch through tank armor, although to do that would take more than just a few shots.

"Have all the troopers with carbines occupy the first three floors. Anyone with a rifle will be posted on the fourth and fifth floor along with the cannon," I replied.

"Well you heard him troopers, move it!" Denal shouted to his men, causing everyone to scramble into position.

As soon as they went into the building Denal walked over to me and offered his fist. I smiled and bumped his fist with my own.

"Care for a bet brother?" Denal asked, his voice full of excitement.

"Another one? Last time we did this your men had to clean the laboratories of the acclamator," I chuckled at the memory of that.

"Oi!" A voice called out to us. Denal and I looked up to see one of the troopers from the higher floors.

"Sarge if you make another stupid bet, the rest of the men will cover the insides of your armor with bantha shit!" The trooper shouted causing the other troopers to shout in agreement.

"It couldn't have been that bad," Denal said to me while heading inside with me following.

"Some of the laboratories were used by wookies," I countered causing him to stop and think about his choice.

"Maaaybe I shouldn't have make another bet..," Denal muttered.

"Smartest thing I've heard from you yet sarge," One of the troopers on the first floor commented.

Denal cuffed him in the back of the helmet as a response. Just when Denal and I stood in front of the stairs Denal turned to look at me.

"I'm going to stay here with the troops with carbines since I have one myself, you should be on the 5th floor seeing as how you were a former sniper," My brother suggested. I patted his shoulder while I moved past him to the stairs.

"Now that has to be the smartest thing I've heard from you," I joked causing most of the men to laugh at their sergeants misfortune.

"Alright next person that laughs is pulling double laboratory duties when we get back!" Denal barked in frustration.

Surprisingly this got his men to knock it off. Soon enough I reached the 5th floor. The troopers stationed here were spread out along the 8 rectangle like windows, the furniture had been moved to provide a decent amount of cover. The tripod cannon was positioned on a balcony that gave the cannon the best firing arc on the road. One trooper was manning the gun while two troopers were to the left of the cannon, their rifles pointed outward towards the road. I set myself into position behind a large couch that was covering the two troopers, the cannon and that trooper, and now myself. We had secured the building for at least half an hour until Denal and I received a transmission from Captain Rex.

"Alright brothers, myself and the rest of the battalion are beginning our approach towards the landing zone. Once we secure it gunships will begin transporting sections of the wall for our firebase. After that your group will fall back to landing zone and we will hold the perimeter until generals Skywalker and Kenobi arrive," Rex explained, the humming of a gunship being heard in the background.

"Good to know Rex, hurry it up though we don't want to be a sitting target," Denal said in slight apprehension.

This wasn't the first time Denal lead his men away from the main group but a couple times had caused the lost of several troopers. This made Denal cautious and worried when it was just his men on the front with no support. Rex acknowledged Denal's request and cut off the communication. Several minutes later one of the troopers next to me began to stare intently at a certain part of the ruble around the road.

"Sir do you see that over there?" The trooper asked while pointing to where he was staring at.

I grabbed my westar and used the scope to see what he was talking about. Darting in and out through the debris looked to be some metallic like humanoid but similar to the B1 droids. The only differences was that the heads of the droids were spherical with two white photoreceptors and the blaster rifles were matte black, the same color as the bodies of the droids.

"What kind of droids are those?" One of the other troopers asked.

As if the droids heard they kneeled down and laid down a barrage of red lasers. Despite being far away from the building the bolts reached us quickly. Everyone hit the dirt to avoid the blaster shots, one of the men wasn't fast enough and took a bolt to the shoulder. He fell to the ground and let out a pained groaned.

"Get him a medic and take him to cover! Everyone else return fire!" I ordered frantically.

I took cover behind the couch we had and raised my rifle at the enemy. I let loose a quick burst of blue blaster fire towards the nearest droid. The droid simply rolled backwards to avoid the shots and then started sprinting towards the building while still firing. The rest of these new droids followed the leader. The closest troopers near me took cover while one of them manned the cannon and our own hail of lasers attacked the clankers. Three of the droids dropped instantly but then the rest began to do leaps and twists in the air to dodge the blue bolts of lights. While they were doing these erratic movements they kept firing.

"What the hell are these things?!" One trooper cried out frantically.

We kept firing at them as they continued pushing forward, some of their shots getting closer to bring another trooper to the ground. Suddenly a new barrage of blaster dire erupted from the first floor of the building, taking these droids by surprise and wiping them out. Everyone stopped firing and just sat down to catch their breath.

"I was wondering when you hear all the blasters going off Denal," I commented into the comm channel that i shared with the sergeant.

"I wanted to get them close enough for the troops with carbines to wipe then out. Did we take any casualties?" Denal asked, apprehension in his voice.

"We have one wounded, nothing serious," I answered causing a sigh of relief to be heard from Denal's side of the comm channel.

"That was probably some type of scouting party, you can bet that there will be droid reinforcements on the way," Denal said.

As if to just throw it in our face we heard the sound of clanking and a low hum. I used my range finder attached to my helmet to see an AAT tank along with a small squad of B1 battle droids in front of the tank, this small group was heading down the very road we were guarding.

"Everyone take cover! We have a small armored convoy heading this way!" I ordered to all the troops under my command.

Everyone immediately hid behind either the walls or the cover we had put up. The convoy kept heading down the road, getting closer and closer to our building.

"Prowl, didn't you brag about how your fancy rifle can bust through tank armor?" Denal whispered through the comm channel despite the droids not being able to hear.

"Yeah why?" I asked.

"Wana hijack a seppie tank?" Denal asked, I could hear how excited he sounded.

"It would be my pleasure, give me cover" I told him.

As soon as I finished speaking I jumped off the balcony just as the tank was driving next to us. I aimed and fired a quick burst that destroyed the hatch on the turret. I continued to fall and landed right on top of the turret. The droid manning the turret looked up at me.

"This is property of the separat-" the droid began to explain before I calmly blasted its head off.

I jumped inside the tank while the droids outside began to shoot at the tank while being shot at themselves. I slid my way down into the main compartment of the tank and used my blaster pistol to destroy the two droids controlling the tank.

"Prowl how are things in there?" Denal asked over the comms.

"All the droids are destroyed, send out two men to get rid of them and help out with the tank," I replied.

I opened the back door of the tank to drag out the first two droids just when the two troopers showed up. I handed them the two junk piles while removing the final droid from the turret. Once the droids were out of the tank, I hopped behind the turret controls and the alternate function to control the entire tank. I positioned the tank so that it was facing the road.

"Well at least we have better firepower," I commented idly.

"Yeah but Rex should have finished by now," Denal muttered in annoyance.

He had a point. A pre-made base wasn't easy to set up but at the same time they Rex should of at least have contacted us or sent some reinforcements. The platoon and I were still stationed in our building with myself manning the tank's turret. Suddenly we heard the sound of blaster fire and a firefight erupting far away from our rear position. My comms went off with Rex trying to contact me. I opened to the channel to hear the firefight a lot louder and more intense with explosions going off and blasters burning through power packs.

"Prowl! The droids were here the entire time, they launched a surprise attack on us and we are barely holding them back. Don't let any droids get through you or we are finished!" Rex cried frantically over the war zone.

"Got it Rex, don't you dare die out there," I replied grimly.

"Same to you," Rex said and then the comm channel turned off. I immediately contacted Denal and waited for him to open the comm channel.

"Whats going on Prowl?" Denal asked.

"Rex and his men just got attacked by a contingent of droids that were already there, they are barely pushing them back. We aren't getting any reinforcements till they can get the pressure off. In the mean time we have to hold this road or else the entire garrison will get wiped out," I stated bluntly. Denal swore from what I told him.

"Alright, Ill go tell the men. I'm going to send two troopers to cover you while you use the tank," Denal explained.

"Thanks brother," I said.

Denal ended the comm channel and then went to speak to the rest of the troopers. Two troopers armed with carbines ran out the building and took cover behind the tank. Suddenly we heard the sound of clanking and repulsor hums, probably more seppies.

"Get ready men," Denal said on the general channel. Then we saw a column of at least 30 B1 droids, 15 B2 droids, and four AAT tanks behind the droids.

"Thats a lot of clankers.." one of the troopers commented.

"Doesn't matter, they are not getting through us, Prowl how about you go and say hello?" Denal suggested.

"With pleasure," I replied while grinning. I aimed for the droids that were in range and fired with main gun.

With a deafening boom, a large crimson round zipped through the air and landed in the middle of the B1 formation. Around 5-7 droids immediately were vaporizes while some of the other droids got knocked down from shockwave. Yet the droids kept marching until they were in range and opened fire on the tank. The two troopers ducked behind the tank as each blaster bolt pinged harmlessly against the tanks armor.

"All troopers open fire!" Denal shouted.

Immediately everyone began to fire their blasters at the droids. Several droids collapsed immediately, decimating the B1s. The surviving droids took cover around the rubble and returned fire with little success. Our tripod cannon began firing as well, taking down some of the B2 droids. I had to wait unfortunately until the tank gun could recharge to I stuck my head out of the turret and started firing at the B1s. I had put a hole in three droids heads before I ducked back down when the droids started firing at me. I checked the cannon and saw that it was ready to fire, I aimed at the small group of B2s and fired. The tank shook as the cannon round was launched out of the barrel and impacted the heavy battle droids. The round caused a small crater and a cloud of smoke to obscure the view of the droids. When the smoke cleared all that was left were charred broken parts.

"Denal how is the battle going?" I asked him.

"The B1s are almost wiped out and we are starting to work on the B2s but there armor is pretty strong. Crap the AATs are starting to move up," Denal pointed out.

I looked through the tank scope and saw that the droids had cleared themselves from the road so that the tanks could move forward. I aimed at the closest tank and fired another shot. The round impacted the side of the tank but other than causing a blackened mark and causing the armor to cave in slightly, it did nothing else. The damaged tank turned its turret towards my tank and fired its own round. When the round collided with the tanks hull, the tank shook violently, almost causing me to hit my head against the gunner's console.

"Prowl are you alright in there?!" Denal cried frantically. I shook my head since it was still a bit dizzy from the attack and I checked the status of the tank.

"Hull integrity is at 68%, guns are still functional and mobility is still operational. I can't take more hits like that though," I explained while putting the first tank in my sights again and let loose another shot.

This time the crimson beam impacted close to where the turret was, it must of hit something important because the entire tank erupted into a ball of flame. The shrapnel from the tank shredded a couple of B2s that were nearby. All the troops cheered from the destruction of the tank, even I cheered from inside the tank. The celebrations were short lived though as two more tank round impacted my tank, this time causing me to hit my head against the back of my seat. If it wasn't for the helmet I was wearing I probably would've been unconscious. I quickly checked the status of the tank and saw that the hull integrity was only 11%.

"Everyone get away from the tank!" I shouted frantically.

I pulled myself out of the turret and activated my jetpack to reach the 5th floor of the building. While flying through the air I saw that the B1s were all destroyed and they were only a few B2s left, however we still had 3 tanks to deal with. All 3 tanks fired their main gun at our hijacked tank, causing a huge explosion. The shockwave of the explosion propelled me forward and onto the third floor balcony. I managed to land on my feet while a nearby trooper helped me up. I nodded in thanks and then aimed my rifle at the nearest B2 and opened fire. A quick burst broke through the heavy armor and destroyed the droid. I did the same with another droid before a loud explosion distracted everyone. A huge cloud of fire and smoke had replaced where one of the enemy tanks had been.

"Nice shot with the cannon!" One of the troopers nearby cheered.

Unfortunately one of the enemy tanks retaliated and used its main cannon to hit where the tripod cannon was positioned. The shot shook the entire building and caused dust to fall from the ceiling. Another shot impacted the building, this time a different floor.

"We can't hold out much longer!" One of the troopers stated fearfully.

"We have to hold! The rest of our brothers are still holding the landing zone, if we fail then we fail them!" Denal called out, hoping to inspire his men.

I could tell that all the men were hesitant but they continued firing. Eventually we had managed to take out all the B2s but the tanks were still firing at us. The tanks had managed to take down the fourth and fifth floor, forcing our men to take up the first three floors. Several of our troops had been injured already and a few of our brothers had been killed. At the moment Denal and I along with few of the able men were firing at the tanks. Only my blaster was able to pierce the tank's armor but I couldn't get close enough to make it effective.

"Is this how it ends Prowl?" Denal questioned quietly.

Over the sound of the firefight I could hear a hum, similar to the tanks except it was higher in volume in comparison.

"Do you hear that?" I asked Denal. Denal stopped firing and began to listen, when he heard what I heard he looked at me.

"Its about time," he whispered.

"The reinforcements are here brothers!" I shouted to all the troopers.

Everyone had stopped firing, wondering what I was talking about until they heard the sound as well. We all looked in the sky and saw three gunships bearing down on the tanks. The lead gunship opened fire with a pair of missiles, they flew right towards the tanks and caused a huge explosion engulfing both tanks. The gunship then flew around and back to the landing zone while the other two gunships stayed behind and landed nearby.

"Alright time to go! Everyone help the wounded to the gunships first and then gather the dead," Denal ordered.

I went inside the building and helped a trooper who had a concussion from fallen debris. Once I had moved the trooper onboard I contacted Rex.

"Brother, whats the status of the landing zone?" I asked immediately.

"We managed to repel the separatist forces but we took heavy casualties. The base is operational and we have automated defenses set up to repel the enemy. Its nice to hear from you, I assume the gunships have assisted you?" The captain questioned.

"Yeah they arrived just in time, we have casualties of our own unfortunately," I stated grimly.

"We'll sort everything out once you arrive," Rex replied, sadness in his voice.

Soon enough everyone was loaded on the gunships and we headed to the republic base. The atmosphere in the gunship was solemn and quiet. This was one of the worst battles we have had recently, during the missions we had before we didn't have any KIAs but now we had over five dead. As we got closer to the base I could see the scars and craters from the battle, dozens and dozens of broken droids surrounded the base while destroyed husks of tanks dotted the land. The base itself was surrounded by 10 foot high walls that were at least half a foot thick. The base had a vehicle depot, armory, a field hospital and several barracks. In the center of the base was the command center. The gunships landed by the field hospital where medics with stretchers were waiting. The medics moved immediately, taking our wounded while taking the dead troopers away as well.

"Find an empty barracks to occupy, once you have your gear stowed away relax and find something to eat," Denla ordered. All the troopers that were uninjured moved began to head off to different parts of the base.

"Guess we better report to the Captain," I said. Denal nodded and we both began to walk over to the command center.

We passed through the automatic doors and began to head down the halls of the building. We passed a trooper and asked if he had seen Captain Rex. He said to keep going down the hall and then make a right to find the main area for operations. We thanked the trooper and followed his directions. Once we reached our destination we saw General Kenobi and General Skywalker along with Captain Rex and Commander Cody. Denal and I saluted to everyone and Skywalker nodded towards us, telling us to be at ease.

"Prowl, Denal. What were your casualties?" General Skywalker asked us calmly.

"We have twelve wounded and seven dead sir," I answered.

"Well it could of been worse, good job holding the road troopers. You and your men were crucial to the defense of this base," General Kenobi stated.

Despite the fact that he was praising our efforts, I still felt hollow from the amount of troopers we had lost.

"How bad were things here sir?" I asked our COs hesitantly. This time Rex sighed before answering.

"We have over 50 wounded and 22 dead, seppies hit us ad soon as we landed," Rex explained. The information was devastating to hear, such casualties haven't been seen since tibrin.

"I understand that your both tired from the battle, get something to eat. We won't begin any operations till tomorrow," General Skywalker ordered. Both Denal and I nodded and we left the operation room.

"Can't believe this invasion started out this way," Denal muttered under his breath.

"I can't believe it other, but we have to do our best if we are going to win this battle and the war," I stated in hopes of cheering up my brother.

"Yeah that is true, thanks brother," Denal said while clasping his hand against my shoulder.

"Anytime Denal, I'll see you later you should get something to eat," I stated. I then walked out of the building.

* * *

**-location: Republic base. Time: 1683-**

After I left the command center, I began go walk around the base, speaking with the occasional trooper that I saw. Eventually I headed to the mess hall where I saw Denal and some of his men eating. I sat with them and talked briefly with them. Most of the troopers weren't in the mood to talk, they were still in shock from earlier's engagement. Denal tried to cheer up his men and eventually they all began to return to some state of normalcy. Once I had finished eating I left the mess hall and began to wander the base aimlessly. Eventually I settle for sitting on one of the barracks close to the wall. I was leaning against one of the cooling units on the roof with one leg raised and the other laying flat on the roof. I was looking out into the war torn cities out on the horizon. The sun had set already, leaving only some of the building lit up with lights from the residents. There was a general evacuation for citizens living in this sector to move to a more secure area on Christophsis but some of them were stubborn and decided to fight back against the Separatists. They couldn't do much against AATs, which is why the Republic was here in the first place. War was an interesting concept to me, I didn't oppose of it but at the same time it wasn't something that I would wish to happen. Yet I couldn't imagine myself just being idle in some job as a merchant or ship builder. I reached into one of my pockets and pulled out a small data pad and pulled up a file on the supercommando codex, created by Jaster Mereel. It stated that all Mandalorians who wanted to keep to their warrior ways should serve as either soldiers or mercenaries. I was already a soldier but the idea of being a mercenary, fighting as a form of income did seem ideal compared to just fighting a bloody war. The only problem was some of the things a mercenary did was just as brutal as the things that happened in the war.

"Is that you up there Prowl?" A voice called out to me. I looked down and saw that Rex was there.

"Yeah its me, what are you doing here?" I asked Rex.

"I've been looking for you, what are you doing up there?" Rex asked me.

"Just looking at the war zone," I answered.

"Mind if I join you?" Rex questioned. I nodded and lent him a hand to climb up. I made space for him as we both leaned against the cooling unit, just staring out into the distance. I took off my helmet and ran my hand through my hair and let out a sigh.

"How long do you think this war will last brother?" I asked Rex.

"I don't know, it seems like every planet we take, another front opens up," Rex replied. Just as he finished saying that one of the nearby skyscrapers collapsed, letting loose a storm of dust.

"I just hope it ends soon," I whispered.

* * *

**Author: I really need to find more time to write**

**Denal: seriously, Im getting sick of collecting dust**

**Prowl: yeah, its almost as bad as when your men had to clean the laboratories**

**Denal: When will they let it go?**

**Rex: Wookies denal, wookies**

**Author: We'll that's all I have for today guys, I'll see you next time I update**


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's notes: Welcome back readers and star wars fans. Since it is now time for winter break I was able to finish this chapter pretty quickly, Hopefully I'll have another chapter up before I go back to work and school. Again big thanks to Mandalore the Freedom who has helped a lot with the production of this story and you will see his efforts in the later chapters. Happy holidays everyone and I hope you enjoy the latest chapter of the story**

* * *

**-location: command center, republic base. Time:0847-**  
**Invasion of Christophsis: day 2**

"Our scots have spotted a droid airfield nearby in this sector. It receives supply shuttles along with droid landing craft. We believe thats how they get their troops to mobilize so quickly when we arrived, we are going to take out the airfield and then secure any intel we can find, any questions?" General Skywalker asked.

"Will we have any armor support?" I questioned.

"Two AT-TEs and four AT-RTs will be assisting us, unfortunately thats the only support we will be receiving. Obi-wan and his men need to guard the base, any other questions?" He asked once more.

"Did we receive any Z-6 rotary cannons yet sir?" Denal asked. The General sighed.

"Unfortunately no, the Separatist fleet is beginning to choke our supply lines in this system, we are barely getting reinforcements as it is. If thats all the questions you have then get your gear squared away. Dismissed," General Skywalker ordered.

All the NCOs dispersed and headed to were their gear was. Denal and I were walking to the barracks that we were sharing along with the rest of his men. We had just received reinforcements and our platoon was back at full strength. Unfortunately the same couldn't be said for the rest of the battalions. The 501st was only at 78% combat effectiveness while the 212th was at 80% percent. It seemed that the Separatists were determined to take back this planet, at the moment our fleet was winning in space but the droids keep sending in more ships. Once Denal and I reached the barracks, we grabbed our gear and told the troops to get theirs as well. After everyone was ready we headed towards the main gate of the base, it was in front of one of the smaller roads of the planet. The AT-TEs, AT-RTs and the most of the 501st were already waiting in formation. The troops were in front with the smaller walkers behind them and the big walkers covering the rear. General Skywalker and Captain Rex were at the front of the formation. Denal and I walked up to as the rest of the NCOs had already crowded them. I moved to stand at the General's side while Denal stayed with everyone else.

"Once we get onto the road to the airfield I want the troopers to spread out, the AT-RTs will follow while the tanks stay on the road. The tanks while bombard the airfield until they send a response force and then we push them back and destroy the airfield, any questions?" The General asked.

No one asked so he nodded and turned towards the gate. The gate began to lift slowly while a loud metallic groan, once it was cleared the General and all the troops in the front began to march forward. It had taken at least ten minutes for all the troops and walkers to get out of the base but once we did, the troopers and scout walkers began to encircle the tanks as they stuck to the road. I was standing with the General, Captain Rex, Denal and his men along with a few others on the left flank. As we kept going further out, there were less and less buildings to provide cover. Suddenly there was a loud crack and one of the troopers near me dropped. Everyone around us laid around the ground quickly while the General stood his ground and activated his lightsaber. Another shot fired, this time heading for Skywalker but he casually brushed the sniper round aside. I lifted myself from the floor and crouched while shouldering my rifle. Using the scope I saw that it was one of the those new droids, commando droids, wielding a sniper rifle in one of the nearby buildings. I fired a quick burst that destroyed the droids head. The commando droid collapsed against the balcony rail it used to support its sniper.

"Target down!" I called out to everyone.

"Someone get a medic!" The General shouted.

Quickly a nearby medic ran over to the trooper that had been hit by the sniper. The medic checked for a pulse and then shook his head sadly. The General sighed while some of the men including myself swore. Then I realized something about the droid being there.

"Sir that droid was probably a sentry, then the airfield probably already knows that we are coming," I pointed out. The General groaned in frustration and pinched the bridge of his noise.

"That makes our mission a whole lot more difficult then, any suggestions?" General Skywalker asked the troopers around us.

I began to think on the situation while glancing around. I kept looking until my eyes fell on one of the AT-RTs and then I came up with an idea.

"What if we used the scout walkers as a means of calvary? We could also fit at least one extra trooper per walker. We have the walkers rush the airfield and the drops the troops while the walkers move around mowing down droids. This strike team could cause enough confusion so that way the rest of the troops and the tanks can come in virtually unopposed. Then the strike team pulls out while the rest of the 501st bombards the airfield at range," I explained, gaining everyones attention.

"Good thinking, Rex gather up 2 of your best men, you and Prowl will be leading this strike team," Skywalker ordered.

Rex nodded and motioned me towards one of the scout walkers. I walked over the driver and explained the plan, the driver nodded and told the rest of his squadron to head towards the front of the formation. I held onto the back of the walker while it headed to the front. Rex, Denal, and another sergeant ranking trooper was there as well.

"Unfortunately we are going to have to operate on the fly, we are going in blind with little information. Once we are in range we discuss the plan further now lets mount up," Rex ordered and went to hold onto the back of one of the walkers.

The rest of the strike team did the same and soon enough we had to hold on for dear life as the walkers raced ahead at full speed. A couple times I had almost lost my gripped but I continued to hold on. Racing past what was left of the city, we were now out in the open and the airfield was in sight.  
Unfortunately my prediction was right since there was 5 AAT tanks lined up in front of the airfield. Soon enough they let loose a volley of rounds, one of them passing awfully close to Denal's walker. The walkers couldn't accurately return fire while moving at high speeds so the squadron began to shift to the right as we hoped we could lose them amongst the warehouses and buildings of the airfield. The tanks turned as well and kept up their rate of fire but continued to miss.

"This has to be one of the craziest things that we have ever done in this war!" Denal exclaimed as we continued to dodge cannon fire.

"Keep in mind though it hasn't been a year since the war began," I commented.

"Ten credits says that we will be doing even more crazy things than this," Rex stated.

Our conversation was cut short as another volley had gotten too close for comfort. Finally we took cover behind a warehouse so that the droids would have to come to us. The troopers jumped off while the drivers stayed on their walkers.

"See if you can knock out a couple of those tanks, we will try to destroy anything of significance before the main force arrives," Rex ordered the squadron.

The squadron leader nodded and raced forward with his men following behind him. Rex took out his blaster pistols while Denal and the other trooper readied their carbines.

"Lets fine something we can blow up," Rex said before running off deeper into the airfield.

Myself and the other members of the strike team followed him. We passed by a couple buildings until we spotted a squad of droids heading towards us. Rex immediately began to fire with his pistols, taking out a couple of B1 droids. I got down on one knee and sprayed the first row of droids, taking down several B1s. Denal and the other sergeant took down two B2s, wiping out the squad of droids. Once the last droid had fallen we ran further into the Separatist base. The sounds of cannon fire began to sound off in the distance.

"Captain Rex! We have engaged the tanks but we are being pressed hard!" The squadron leader said frantically over the comm channel.

"Hold out a little longer, the General is on his way" Rex reassured the scout leader.

"Copy sir, Flank the tank on the left!" The squadron spoke to his men before ending the communications.

"Sir is that a communications hub?" The sergeant asked, pointing to a small building with multiple antennae.

"Yes it is, that will be our target," The Captain ordered.

The strike team nodded and moved towards the building. The firefight between the vehicles seemed to be getting closer and deeper into the airfield. We reached the automated doors and attempted to gain access but the doors were locked.

"I can hack it sir," the sergeant stated. He immediately set aside his blaster and began to break apart the security lock.

Suddenly we heard the clanking of more droid soldiers. The noise set Rex, Denal and I on edge as the trooper was still working on the door. Soon enough we saw another squad, this time consisting entirely of B2s. The front row armed their wrist cannons and began to fire. Rex and I took cover behind a couple of nearby crates while Denal pulled a crate to protect himself and the trooper. The droid squad was larger than the last group of clankers we had already taken out.

"Seems like the base's occupants are beginning to mass a full counterattack," I observed calmly.

"Agreed," Rex replied while ducking his head to avoid getting blasted.

A beeping noise began to come from Rex's helmet. Rex glanced at me, asking me to cover him without saying a word. I nodded and provided suppressive fire towards the advancing war machines.

"Captain Rex, we are almost in range. Get out of the airfield so we can commence bombardment," The General ordered.  
"We are currently caught in a firefight and the scout squadron are engaged with tanks. We aren't in any position to evacuate!" Rex stated in frustration.

A stray round from one of the super battle droids hit the console that the trooper was working on. The laser caused the console to explode, sending shrapnel into the helmet and head of the sergeant killing him instantly.

"Shit! Void is dead!" Denal called out over the firefight.

"Is there any way the scout walkers can swing by for a pick up while we blast the airfield?" The General asked.

"Possibly, Denal contact the walkers!" Rex shouted.

"No need sir look!"Denal pointed to the side of a nearby warehouse.

A scout walker ran past it and towards us followed by the rest of the squadron. A tank shot erupted just where they had been standing a second ago. The walkers made quick work of the droid squad that we were fighting against using their cannons.

"We have to bug out now! We only managed to take out one tank and the rest are on their way now," The leader exclaimed.

"No need to tell us twice," I stated, climbing on the back of the leader's walker.

Denal and Rex did the same, Denal sending Void's body one last glance before securing his hold on the walker. It hurt to do it but we had no room to carry our fallen brother. As soon as everyone was set, the walkers took off while the tanks had just turned the corner.

"Sir we are heading our way out through the south side of the airfield, you are clear for bombardment," Rex advised the General.

"Copy Rex, watch yourselves bombardment is inbound," Skywalker stated.

Soon enough we could hear the low discharge of AT-TE cannons firing. When the first rounds impacted the airfield it shook the area that we were currently in. Eventually we managed to reach the main force, they were stationed on a hill that overlooked the airfield. The tanks were still bombarding the airfield, smoke and fire beginning to appear throughout the Separatist base. Rex went to speak with the General while Denal went with his men. I stood on the edge of the formation next to a couple of soldiers watching the attack. I noticed a small silhouette on the horizon.

"Trooper, can I borrow your sniper rifle for a moment?" I asked.

The trooper looked at me in confusion before handing me the sniper. I quickly used the zoom function to its highest setting and saw a commando droid driving a speeder bike back into the city and a large box on its back. Deciding it'd be better to be safe than sorry I fired a single shot into the head of the droid. The bolt instantly vaporized the commando droid's head, causing the bike and the body of the droid to crash into the ground. I handed the sniper back to the trooper and turned towards two more soldiers.

"Retrieve the body and the box that droid had on him," I ordered.

The troopers immediately nodded and raced off towards the fallen droid.

"General come in," I called out on the comm channel.

"This is General Skywalker go ahead," he replied.

"I just spotted a commando droid escaping the airfield carrying some type of box, I neutralized it and sent a pair of troopers to retrieve the box," I explained to my commanding officer.

"Good work Prowl. Once the airfield is destroyed and we retrieved the box we will head back to base," the General replied.

"Sir incoming droids!" One of the troopers shouted.

This caught the attention of the entire battalion. We saw a couple dozen battle droids heading out of the airfield and towards us.

"All troopers open fire," the General ordered calmly.

Immediately everyone used their blaster to lay down a storm of blaster fire, wiping out half of the droids in a couple seconds. The droids tried to fire back but were all destroyed before they had a chance. With perfect timing the two troopers came back with them carrying the droid, the box was still attached to its back. The General came by to take a look at the droid they had recovered.

"Load it onto one of the tanks. Everyone prepare to head back to base!" The General shouted to everyone.

* * *

**-Location: Republic base, Christophsis**  
**Time:1370-**

After we returned to base, Rex and the General brought the droid over to the command center. I just returned to the same spot on the roof of the barracks. I set aside my helmet and rifle while pulling out my data pad. Lately I couldn't stop thinking of the super commando codex from Mandalore. The idea of it just seemed to sync with what I wanted to do with my life once the war was over. Most trooper don't bother to think of life after the war since we were just bred soldiers but I didn't want to look at myself that way. I wanted to be my own person rather than a number in another war during the history of the galaxy. Other troopers thought like this as well but most of the time those troopers went rogue and abandoned the army. I did want to leave the army but not until the war was over, my brothers are the only family I have.

"I swear Prowl I'm getting sick and tired of finding you lost in your thoughts," I heard Denal call out from me. I looked to the ground and saw that he was only wearing his armor and no helmet.

"Do you and Rex have some sort of tracking beacon on me to let you know when I'm thinking?" I asked while chuckling.

"Yeah its so that you don't become some depressed wreck. Now give me a hand and help me up," Denal threatened jokingly.

I smiled and gave my brother a hand, pulling him up so that he would sit next to me against the cooling vent.

"You know, Rex said that you might be up here," Denal said.

"He did?" I asked in surprise.

"Yup he said he found you here yesterday," Denal explained.

For few minutes we sat in comfortable silence, just looking at the planet while the sun was still in the sky.

"Hey Denal, what do you think is going to happen to us after the war?" I asked calmly. Denal's face immediately turned to surprise while turning to me.

"What are you talking about brother? We are soldiers, thats all we will do," Denal stated with certainty.

"You don't want anything for yourself except to be a soldier?" I questioned.

Denal opened his mouth to reply but then he closed it and put a hand to his chin in thought.

"I would like something more but we were bred for war. What else could we do?" Denal questioned, doubt evident in his voice.

I handed him the data pad I had that i used to read on the super commando codex. Denal looked at it in confusion before reading the information I gave him. The more he read the more engrossed he became. Finally he handed the data pad back to me and collected his thoughts before speaking.

"This Jaster guy sounds like a great leader. So you want to be a mercenary after the war?" Denal asked.

"You said it yourself, we were bred for war. But I want to be able to decide when, where, and what I'm fighting for. Plus we have the blood and DNA of Jango Fett, a mandalorian. I want to see what would essentially be our ancestral home before I die," I explained passionately.

Denal stared at me, surprised by how I was to the idea for having a life outside the war. He then looked back out to the horizon and chuckled.

"Mind if I come with you to Mandalore brother?" He asked. I put an arm around his shoulder and shook him slightly.

"Of course brother, we are family," I said warmly.

Denal put his arm around my shoulder and we stayed like that for a few minutes just watching the horizon. A beep from my wrist communicator disturbed us from the peaceful setting. I answered while Denal and I moved our arms from each other.

"This is Prowl," I stated.

"Prowl its Rex, I need you to get Denal and head over to the command center immediately," our brother explained urgently.

"Copy we're on out way," I replied.

I ended the communication and looked at Denal. He nodded before sliding off the roof. I grabbed my helmet and rifle and followed him. Once we both reached the ground we ran towards the command center. After the enter the building and going inside the war room, we saw Rex and Cody working with another trooper on the box that the commando droid had.

"Prowl, Denal. Good to see you here. This is Sergeant Slick," Cody stated while gesturing to trooper.

"Nice to meet you two," Slick greeted with a smile while extending his hands to both Denal and I. We both returned the greeting.

Slick had the appearance of a strict but father figure sort of look to him, an NCO that troopers could look up to for inspiration.

"The reason why we called both of you here was because Slick managed to decrypt the information on the box. Slick please display the data," Rex ordered.

Slick nodded and pressed a button on the data box, causing a holo image of a map to appear. At the center of the map was a green representation of the former Separatists airfield, near it were a couple of small green dots. To the top of the map was a large green formation that was passing the few green dots and heading towards another large green concentration that appeared to be the main Separatist base. Even more interesting was a red arrow that the troop formation was following.

"Is that what I think it is?" Slick asked in surprise.

"Yeah..Separatist troop movements and base locations. The droid must of been trying to keep the data from falling in our hands," Cody pointed.

"Look at the time stamp for the troop movements, two days from now at 0985," Denal commented.

"We have to take out that formation. If it reinforces the main base then we might get overrun. We still don't know how many troops they have at that base or where these new troops even came in," I stated cautiously.

"I'll go speak about it with the generals," Rex said.

"Alright, everyone your dismissed. We will call for you when we need you," Cody ordered.

Denal, Slick, and I all saluted and then walked out of the war room.

* * *

**-two days later. Time: 0980. Location: damaged city, Christophsis-**  
**Invasion of Christophsis: day 4**

Time passed by very quickly, making it seem like the previous meeting on the stolen information was five minutes ago. The next day after the meeting, General Kenobi and his battalion hit several small Seppie outposts. The good thing was that it wasn't enough to make it seem like we had Intel against our enemy. Two days later and we were gearing up to attack the troop formation that would be passing us by.  
Generals Kenobi and Skywalker decided to occupy a pair of towers just along the rode that the droids would be crossing. General Kenobi and his men were in the south tower while General Skywalker and our men were in the north tower.

"Anakin, how are you doing over there?" General Kenobi asked through the wrist communicator Skywalker had.

"We're set. Got some guys here that are anxious to get going," Skywalker replied while grinning at us. Some of the troopers nodded in agreement.

"Glad to hear it," Kenobi replied.

Skywalker then turned off his communicator and turned to us.

"Get into positions, the droids will be here in a few minutes," our General ordered.

Immediately, our forces moved into position. Our strike team was light in comparison to the full platoon that Kenobi had brought. Skywalker only brought myself, Rex, and enough troops to make a squad. The key to this operation was to strike fast and hard with a small amount of troops, plus the bulk of the army had to stay and defend the base.

"General. Droid forces have been spotted," one of the troopers with a pair of macro-binoculars.

"Steady everyone. Let the enemy get into position," Skywalker said.

We watched as the droids continued to march into the plaza, only to be surprised when we saw tanks and that the droid formation had split up.

"This isn't right.." I muttered.

All of a sudden we heard blaster fire coming from the south tower. We all looked to the south tower to see Kenobi's troops fighting against battle droids.

"Obi-wan whats going on?!" Our General asked over into his communicator.

"We're cut off. The droids are on to us!" Kenobi responded over the firefight.

"Gunship come in. Hawk we need an evac in the south tower," Skywalker ordered to the gunship that was assigned to help us attack the droids.

"Roger that sir we're coming," the pilot responded.

"South tower? We're in the north," Rex stated in confusion.

"Not for long," the jedi knight replied while activating his lightsaber.

Skywalker slashed an X into the window closets to him and used the force to break open the glass. Everyone covered their eyes and face to avoid and flying glass going into their face.

"Rex. Fire your cables," Skywalker ordered.

Rex nodded and gestured for three soldiers to grab rifles with grappling attachments and fired them into the south tower.

"Sir permission to provide cover fire while everyone else heads to the south tower?" I asked my CO.

"Granted. Everyone else lets move," the General ordered.

Everyone grabbed a carbine and used it to zip line towards the south tower. I broke a smaller window nearby and set my rifle to automatic, hosing down the droids that had noticed our team. The droids stopped firing on our guys and instead peppered the window I was using. I fell back to avoid being blackened and charred by stray bolts of plasma.

"Prowl! How are you going to head over to the south tower?!" Rex asked frantically.

"I'll use my jetpack to-" I began to explain but was cut off when I heard the elevator door opening.

I turned and saw a full squad of battle droids flooding the room with their blasters raised. I pressed the trigger for my Westar and brought down the half the squad while the rest returned fire. I took cover behind a wall and simply tossed a thermal det to take out the rest.

"Um cancel on that, the droids have me cornered. Any possible way of being picked up from the roof of the south tower?" I asked calmly despite the loud detonation that occurred during the conversation.

"Shit..we'll try. Don't do anything stupid Prowl!" Rex half shouted.

"Too late. See you soon brother," I said jokingly and then ended the transmission.

More droids where coming out of the elevator, the amount was enough to keep me from getting too many shots off. I put my rifle just past the wall I was using and blindly fired a couple short bursts before running up the stairs that were nearby. After what felt like five minutes when in reality was half a minute, I managed to reach the roof top. On the south tower was the Generals and what was left of the troopers assigned to this operation. I could hear clanking coming up the stairs, I ran over and threw another thermal det down the stairs before closing the door. A muffles thump assured me that some droids were broken parts, unfortunately that didn't help the situation as the ding went off. I turned and saw the elevator door open to reveal more droids.

"Prowl! We are inbound to your location!" Rex stated, the sound of the gunships engine in the background.

"No time for that! Fly by the roof with one of the bay doors open!" I yelled while firing my rifle, knocking down a droid and forcing the rest to cover. When the rest of the war machines began to return fire I took cover and could only return fire sporadically. The sound of a low humming was growing in the background, behind me I could see the gunship inbound with the left door open.

"Don't slow down!" I yelled while running towards the edge of the roof.

The gunship was zooming towards the side of the roof I was heading to. As soon as I was close to the edge I jumped while all the strength I had and activated my jetpack propelling me towards the LAAT. Time seemed to slow down, going frame by frame as the entire content of the gunships just stared at me while I was dodging blaster fire and trying get inside the republic vehicle. Unfortunately for me I wasn't going to make it inside the cabin for the troops so I did the next best thing. I reached out with one arm while slinging my rifle tightly as I got closer to the wing of the gunship. As soon as my hand found a grip it felt like my arm was about to be torn out of my socket, I grabbed on with both hands to make sure that I was able to stay on the ship by whatever means. We flew away from the battlefield while I continued to hold on, eventually they slowed down when we were far away and Skywalker used the force to carry me inside the gunship. Once inside I was able to catch my breath while everyone looked at me like I had a third head.

"That was most impressive Prowl. You should do it again so I could learn how to do that," Skywalker stated with a smile.

"Fuck that, sir," I replied in a shaky voice while saluting when I said sir.

Everyone inside the gunship laughed for a few seconds before a solemn mood kicked in. One of the troopers handed the head of a tactical droid to Captain Rex.

"Maybe this tactical droid will tell us how they knew our plan," Rex said.

* * *

**-time: 2130. Location: command center, Christophsis-**

Once we had arrived at base, the Generals went to go speak with the admirals still guarding the planet in orbit while Rex, Cody, and I went about to decode the information inside the tactical droid. After several hours, we had finally manage to break into the droid's head. We all gathered around the data table with our helmets off while Rex plugged in two universal cords into the droids head. A holo image of the two towers was displayed above the droids head.

"The Republic army is in the north and south towers, level 46," the tactical droid spoke monotonously.

"It just doesn't make sense," Rex stated while leaning over the table and the droid. Soon electronic noises were heard coming from the droid as it short circuited and smoke began to come out of the war machine.

"Blast!" Rex swore in frustration. R2-D2 who was at the table as well made some beeps and boops, agreeing with the Captain.

"Well, at least we're not the only ones having a bad day," Skywalker said as both he and Kenobi walked into the war room.

"Generals," I greeted them as Rex, Cody and I all stood at attention.

"They had all our Intel," Cody explained to our generals.

"That would explain the ambush. How could we have left ourselves so vulnerable to a security breach?" General Skywalker asked while crossing his arms.

During this General Kenobi walked over to one of the holo diagrams and then turned to the four of us.

"I don't think we did," he said gravely.

"You think someone infiltrated our defenses?" Skywalker asked in surprise.

"Possibly," Kenobi replied.

"It would have to be someone cunning and resourceful enough to gain access to all our plans," the dirty blonde general explained.

"Maybe it was one of the locals that favored the Separatists? Or one of those commando droids?" I offered while crossing my arms.

"That still wouldn't explain how they got our Intel," Skywalker countered.

"No. You're right, they wouldn't act alone. They'd have someone working with them," Kenobi stated with certainty.

"A spy sir? But who would want to betray our troops to the Seppies?" Cody asked in pure disbelief.

"Excellent question commander. Perhaps its time we made a visit behind enemy lines. I think we'll find our answers there," Kenobi proposed.

"We'll get right on it," Cody stated quickly.

"No commander. I need you here to find the security breach," Cody's General replied.

"You can count on us sir," Cody assured the Jedi.

"One more thing. This mission is extremely confidential. The spy could be anyone. Let no one know of our mission," Kenobi ordered in a serious tone.

"Understood sir," Rex said. Both Jedi nodded and left the room.

We all looked at each other and were about to leave when Cody stopped. He walked over to one of the com links and picked it up.

"Someone left their com link on," Cody said in a grave tone causing both Rex and I to stare at him in shock.

"Someone has been listening to everything we said!" Cody exclaimed in frustration.

Rex was the closest to the door and looked around in the hallway. Apparently he saw someone.

"Hey! Stop!" Rex ordered before running into the hallway.

"Prowl see if you can check the security cameras!" Cody suggested while running after Rex.

"Got it!" I shouted to the commander.

I ran over to the terminal that had access to the but all the screens for the cameras were completely dark.

"Damn it!" I swore while slamming my fist into the console.

"R2 see if you can clear this up," I asked the astromech.

The round droid made a small boop in agreement and plugged into the terminal. A minute later R2 unplugged and made a series of noises in frustration.

"This spy is good.." I mumbled before activating my coms to Rex.

"Brother the spy managed to sabotage the cameras," I explained while sighing.

"He escaped into the mess hall. We both know what that means," Rex replied in a low voice.

"I figured, the only people inside the base are us troopers," I stated while clenching my fists in anger.

"Cody and I are heading back to the war room. Wait for us there," Rex ordered.

"Copy," I replied.

After that I sat on the floor with my back against the terminal. R2 stood right next to me and let out a series of whistles and high pitched noises.

"Don't worry. I don't think that you're the spy. You're Skywalker's favorite droid and he trusts you," I reassured the droid. The doors opened up to reveal Cody and Rex walking into the room. I stood up and crossed my arms.

"Hard to believe one of our own brothers is a traitor," I said in a low voice.

"Yeah..but which one?" Cody said while holding his head in his hand.

"How about I go on one of the look out towers and watch for suspicious characters?" I suggested to the ranking troopers.

"Go do that. We'll radio if anything happens," Rex said.

I nodded and put on my helmet while slinging my rifle against my back. I walked out of the room and walked over to one of the watch towers in the middle of the base. Once I was at the top I used the scope of my rifle to search for any suspicious troopers. It honestly angered me that one of our brothers could have betrayed us, we lost a good amount of brothers today.

'The traitor better not get caught by me, if he does then I will kill him' I thought in anger. Several minutes later Rex hailed me on through our coms channel.

"Prowl we have a lead on where the spy may be. Focus your attention onto Slicks barracks," Rex ordered.

"Copy that brother," I replied while shifting my rifle towards Slick's barracks.

I witnesses Rex and Cody go inside the barracks and waited for something to happen. 10 minutes later I see Slick run outside the barracks with Rex and Cody not too far behind.

"Rex! I'm guessing Slick is the traitor since your chasing him. He is heading towards the vehicle depot," I said to the 501st Captain while keeping my rifle trained on traitor.

"Copy! Stay with him we can't lose him," Rex panted while running.

I continued to track Slick until he hid behind one of the gunships. Rex and Cody quickly moved behind the gunship only to run from the gunship. Suddenly the gunship and several vehicles exploded in huge balls of flames causing mass panic in the base. Catching me off guard, another explosion rang at the base of the tower causing it to tilt backwards. The explosion almost knocked me to my feet but I managed to run out of the tower and activated my jetpack to land safely. Luckily I managed to land next to Cody and Rex while they were helping each other up.

"How do we get this guy?" Rex said in frustration.

"Sir, Slick ran into the command center," a trooper ran told us.

"Prowl, organize a group to put out the fires! The rest of you secure the perimeter," Cody ordered sternly before running off. I turned to the troopers that had talked to Captain Rex.

"Well you heard them move it!" I shouted at them. They immediately saluted and ran off. I then used my communicator to contact Denal.

"Denal! Get your platoon over to the vehicle depot there are multiple fires!" I shouted desperately into the communicator.

"I'm on it. I'll round up as many troopers as I can find," Denal replied before ending the transmission.

I looked around for some sort of fire extinguisher until I found one and began to put out the fires of a destroyed gunship. Soon enough Denal and a group of 50 brothers began to put out as many fires as they could. After at least half an hour all the fires were extinguished but the damage done to the depot was immense, we barely had any sort of heavy fire power.

"Prowl come in," Rex called through the helmet radio.

"This is Prowl," I answered.

"We just managed to catch Slick. Whats the status of the depot?" Rex asked in slight apprehension of the aftermath.

"Most of the depot has been destroyed. We managed to salvage at least 10 scout walkers, 3 tanks and the heavy cannons. Unfortunately all the gunships were destroyed in the explosion," I reported, my voice showing how frustrated I was. Rex sighed before answering.

"Copy that. I'll go report this to the Jedi," Rex said tiredly before ending the transmission.

I was about to head back to my own barracks when I saw a trooper running towards me.

"Sir! Our scouts have spotted a large enemy convoy approaching the main road. They report at least 20 AAT tanks!" The trooper explained while taking a few breaths from running.

"Tell all platoon leaders to ready their men for an attack now!" I ordered quickly while trying to contact Rex.

'Seems like this mission is about to go to hell in a hand-basket' I thought grimly.

"Rex here, whats happening?" Rex asked immediately.

"The droid army is on the move. I don't know when they will arrive but they have enough firepower to overrun the base," I explained urgently.

"...shit," Rex said quietly.

"Shit doesn't begin to describe our situation, tell the Generals right now we need to mobilize," I said more calm than I actually felt on the inside.

* * *

**Denal: I really enjoyed watching Prowl fly in the air, I vote that we have him go through that again**

**Prowl: Asshole I almost died!**

**Rex: I second Prowl flying through the air like a rocket**

**Prowl: Now hang on**

**Anakin: I could just order you **

**Prowl:...I hate all of you**

**Author: Any readers want to watch as Prowl gets thrown into the air? Leave a comment and review on how else we can torture our protagonist. Criticism is welcome. **

**PAR KOTE BALIJAAT BE MAND'ALOR!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's notes: Wow. I'm honestly surprised I managed to make another chapter in under a week or so. Consider this as an extra Christmas gift or an early New Year's gift. Anyway this is also my longest chapter for this story so I hope you enjoy how much I wrote. Leave any comments or reviews to as how the story can be improved, constructive criticism is welcomed. Happy New Year's and happy holidays**

* * *

**-time: 2295. Location: Republic base, Christophsis-**

The entire base was on high alert as an impending tank unit was coming towards the base. Without much armor or air support, we wouldn't be able to create much of a defense. At the moment, all high ranking officers were meeting in the war room with the Generals.

"Our scouts have reported the enemy has massed a large amount of armor and is own their way here. We don't have much time we need to evacuate," General Kenobi explained to the officers.

"Sir what about the heavy cannons? Can't we use them to defend the base?" One of the officers asked.

"It would take too long to assemble the cannons," the Jedi master replied.

"How will we be evacuating?" Denal questioned.

"We will head south towards a small plaza located within the city. A platoon armed with tripod cannons will stay and hold the enemy long enough while the rest of our forces retreat," Kenobi further explained.

"Permission to lead the rearguard unit sir. Also I'm requesting that one of the tanks we have stay to help us defend the base," I asked both Generals.

"Permission granted to lead the vanguard but I'm not sure we can spare one of the tanks that we have.." Kenobi considered.

"This is basically a suicide mission for whoever is staying behind. The least we can do is allow them to have some sort of chance," Skywalker argued with his comrade. General Kenobi put his hand to his chin in thought before answering.

"Alright, we'll leave AT-TE 214 to help with the vanguard," Kenobi agreed.

"We need at least 29 volunteers to stay behind. Ask amongst your men who will be willing to volunteer. Send all volunteers to center of the base where they will meet ARC trooper Prowl. Dismissed," General Skywalker concluded.

Everyone immediately dispersed. I put on my helmet and held my rifle in my hands. I walked over to the center of the base, walking past dozens of troopers who were getting mobilized and moving as much gears and supplies as possible. I finally made my way to the center and waited for the volunteers to show up. I sat down against the nearest supply crate and pulled out my data pad in effort to calm my nerves. I was anxious to be leading my own group of soldiers, usually I would share the burden with Denal while leading his platoon but now I was leading my own men. Anxiety and stress began to press down on me, I was an ARC trooper and yet I was worrying over my first command. Fighting droids, getting shot at, none of that fazed me. Now I was close to shaking from nerves over commanding troops. I'd have to ask Rex how he handles the pressure.

Slowly troopers began to show up, each of them a volunteer for the near suicide mission. Once everyone had assembled I stood up to address the men when the sound of a heavy walker moving began to be heard. We all looked and watched as the Republic tank approached the platoon stopped in front of us. The driver and gunner of the walker hopped off and approached us, giving a salute when they were in front of us.

"Sir! AT-TE 214 callsign "Open Casket" reporting for duty sir!" The driver and gunner called out simultaneously. I raised an eyebrow at the call sign they picked.

"Any reason why you chose that name for your walker?" I asked.

"Life expectancy of an AT-TE crew is very low sir. We usually take the brunt of droid armor," the driver explained.

The driver and gunners armor was different from the standard phase I armor. The driver had a pilot like helmet with oxygen hoses attached from the back of the helmet to a small console on his chest. The drivers helmet was grey for the most part with red lines. The gunner had extra armor plates attached to his helmet and chest along with his shoulder pads being grey.

"Good point. Alright men listen up, I'm not going to lie this mission is in essence a suicide mission. But this mission is vital to the rest of the men, we need to hold long enough for our brothers to evacuate. Everyone clear?" I asked everyone.

All the troopers nodded while others said yes sir. I looked around while trying to figure a good strategy to hold the base for as long as possible. I saw along the walls and saw a few tripod cannons.

"Alright I want the groups of three for each of those cannons. I need two volunteers to come with outside the walls. The rest of you are to take cover around the inside of the base. Open Casket, I want indirect fire from the main gun as long as the walls hold. Once the walls fall I want everyone including the tank to fall back to the south road, the rest of the army will provide cover fire for us. Move!" I ordered with a shout.

Immediately all the troops dispersed while the tank crew got back inside their tank. Two troopers armed with DC rifles approached me.

"So what daring and courageous suicide mission do you for us sir?" One of the troopers asked sarcastically.

"Well sorry shiny but you knew what you were signing up for," I replied in a nonchalant tone.

"Anyways we're going to head to the rear of the enemy column and hijack an enemy tank. We will cause confusion and havoc while keeping the pressure off the rest of the men," I explained to both troopers. The two volunteers nodded.

I then ran off towards one of the small access doors at the north gate. I opened the door and the two troopers and I ran off towards one of the skyscrapers away from the base. We all hid behind furniture in the 1st floor and waited for the enemy convoy.

"Open Casket I want you to hammer the lead of the convoy. Avoid hitting the rear of the convoy friendlies will be in that area copy?" I asked the crew of our only tank.

"Copy sir," the driver replied.

We waited for what felt like hours when in reality was at least half an hour until we could hear the clanking of droids and low hum of repulsor engines. The lead of the column eventually began to walk past the building we were in. The lead of the column consisted of battle droids, around fifty or so. After the battle droids passed us we saw AAT tanks, 20 of the armored tanks made up the rest of the convoy.

"All troopers open fire on the infantry as soon as they are in range. All tripod cannons focus on the tanks. Any sergeants in the platoon I want you to call out significant targets for Open Casket, I'm talking clusters of droids or tanks don't waste the few chances we have on a couple of tinnies. I will be securing an enemy tank and taking out as many targets as we can. Good luck to you all," I addressed to all the men over the general channel for the vanguard. I then turned to the two troopers with me.

"Ok this is the plan, we are going to attack the farthest tank from the enemy. I'll go through the turret and clear out the tank. Then I'll lower the hatch for you two to get inside and drive the tank," I explained the troopers.

"Yes sir," both troopers said.

I began heading out of the building with the two troopers following me. The closet tank to us was a few feet away from the rest of the column. I sprinted towards the tank just when all hell broke through, the troopers opened fire on the battle droids and the AT-TE fired on one of the AAT causing it to explode. The Separatist retaliated with the rest of the droids unleashing a barrage of red bolts while the tanks began to spread out to form a firing line. I managed to get onto the tank and work my way up to the hatch to fire a short burst, blowing a whole into the turret and destroying the droid at the gunners seat. I pushed my way past the blasted droid and used my pistol to destroy the last two droids in the tank. The droids didn't even have time to register the fact they had an intruder let alone be able to do anything about it. I slammed down on the button to open the rear hatch while climbing into the turret. The two trooper quickly discarded the broken droids and settled into driving the tank.

"Pulls us back a little so we can have a nice view of the entire enemy line. One of you use use the secondary guns. We don't have much time move it!" I shouted frantically to both of them while sighting the main cannon on the rear of one of the AATs.

The firefight was getting more intense with the enemy tanks now firing against the walls of the base. From the looks of things the walls couldn't last against another couple minutes of tanks rounds. The AT-TE was doing the best it could but it was only one tank.

"We're in position sir!" One of the troopers called out.

"Fire at will!" I replied while firing the main gun at one of the AAT tanks.

The tank immediately exploded with the turret flying off the tank. The trooper manning the secondary guns opened up on another tank, eventually piercing the armor and destroying the tank. Another round from Open Casket destroyed a Seppie tank while the troopers decimated the battle droids. An incoming hail from a different channel broke my focus from firing the cannon again.

"Prowl, all the troops are evacuated and are fortifying the plaza. The two tanks we have left have created a checkpoint to provide cover for your men," General Skywalker informed me.

"Copy that sir. I'll start having my men pull out," I told the General. I ended the comm channel and focused on the battle.

With the way things were going we could actually wipe out the enemy unit. Around six tanks had been destroyed including the tank we hijacked and half the droids were destroyed. I would've loved to stay and finish them off but a force of more than ten tanks was not something to brush off.

"The army has pulled out and set up our new outpost. I want the platoon to retreat one squad at a time. Set the cannons to sentry. Open Casket continue your barrage," I ordered to the entire vanguard. A chorus of 'yes sirs' answered my orders.

One of the enemy tanks turned towards our tank and fired a shot, barely skimming the frontal armor of the tank.

"Return fire!" I barked while firing the main gun.

The trooper heard me and immediately began peppering tank with the small guns. The combination of the main cannon and small guns completely destroyed the enemy tank. The rest of the enemy tanks were still firing at the base's wall, suddenly they all aimed at the main gate and fired as one. The immense firepower pounded a large dent into the door, showing that the gate wasn't going to last much longer.

"All trooper fall back immediately the droids are about to breach the gate!" I cried desperately into the general channel.

Unfortunately it was too late, the tanks had fired again and destroyed the gate entirely. What was left of the droids immediately began to pour in the base while the most of the tanks followed behind while two stayed to take out our hijacked tank.

"Trooper evasive maneuvers!" I called out to the soldier driving the tank.

"Yes sir!" The trooper replied.

Immediately we started weaving in and out the nearby buildings, dodging rounds from the two tanks. I aimed the cannon just when we turned the corner on a building and fired on one of the tanks. The round hit just below the turret, causing the entire tank to explode. The other tank fired at us hitting one of the side guns tearing it off in the process. I retaliated by firing the main gun again but it merely impacted the ground underneath the tank.

"We don't have time for these bastards! Trooper full speed ahead we're ramming them!" I shouted angrily.

"Sir yes sir!" The trooper replied in determination.

I was pushed to the back of my seat as soon as he gunned the throttle. The driver in the enemy tank must've been surprised because they didn't bother to fire until we had gotten too close. We crashed against the enemy causing the sound of screeching metal to fill the inside of our tank and almost slamming me into my gunner console. Our driver continued pushing the AAT further and further getting close to the base walls. The second trooper held the trigger on the secondary gun while we pushed the enemy tank. Once the droid controlled tank slammed against the wall fire and smoke began to billow from the hatches and the main cannon.

"Get us inside the base we need to save our brothers!" I ordered desperately.

They didn't need to be told twice as the driver quickly pulled us away from the enemy tank and into our base. The sight before us made me grip the controls in fury and anger. 6 of the enemy tanks were dodging cannon fire from our AT-TE while 5 other tanks were harassing the clones on foot. A large tank round impacted the center of a squad, throwing 2 troopers high into the air while knocking the rest to the ground. Only 1 soldier got up from the explosion and ran to find better cover.

"I'm going to go assist our brothers, one of you man the main gun and help Open Casket," I ordered before climbing out of the hatch and activating my jetpack.

The sudden burst from the jetpack propelled me all the way onto another enemy tank. I quickly switched to automatic and hosed the turret until there was a gaping hole. I dropped a thermal detonator from one the pouches I had, jumped off the tank and sprinted towards the next tank while the previous one erupted in a bright flame ball. The next tank turned towards me and angled the main gun at me. I dove to the side just when the gun fired, dust and debris peppering my armor. I got up and kept running before the gunner could fire again. I climbed onto the tank and fired a long burst into where the driver would be. I grasped the barrel of the main gun and swung myself onto the barrel and ran on top of the turret. I fired a couple shots into the base of the cannon causing it to fall of and slam into the tank with a loud thud. A loud explosion occurred to my side, I turned and saw a group of clones using a tripod cannon to take out a tank. Unfortunately there were two tanks left and they were pounding the platoon relentlessly. One of tanks turned its main gun towards me and fired. I desperately fired my jetpack in hopes getting out of the imminent explosion. I wasn't quick enough and the shockwave launched me high into the air, making me disoriented and flail in the air. I managed to right myself just as I was heading back down and right towards the enemy tank. I saw some nearby trooper stop firing and watch what was happening. The tank aimed its main gun towards the sky to fire again.

"Throw me a thermal det I'm out!" I shouted to the shocked troopers.

One of the managed to listen to me and threw the detonator as best as he could towards me. Unfortunately the tank decided to fire just at that precise moment. I tapped my jetpack giving me a short burst to stay airborne as the tank round skimmed half an inch from my boot. I angled myself downward and tapped my jetpack again, propelling me towards the the thermal det. I slung my westar rifle and grabbed the grenade with my right hand. I continued falling until I was close enough to the tank's cannon, I rammed the live thermal det down the barrel and landed hard against the tank's hull. The impact was enough to cause pain to spread throughout the right side of my body almost incapacitating me. I managed to throw myself off the tank just as it exploded. Two troopers ran over and helped me onto my feet while the rest of the platoon took out the last tank.

"ARC trooper this is Open Casket. We have sustained heavy damage and our mobility is severely crippled. We'll hold off the enemies while everyone else gets out of here," the driver suddenly spoke into my helmet calmly.

I frantically turned and saw that the battle wasn't going well for our tanks. The captured AAT tank was dodging fire from three tanks to the point it couldn't return fire. The AT-TE was being peppered by three other tanks as it tried to take them out with its own cannons but the walker's two front legs had been shot clean off leaving the walker imbedded into the ground.

"Hell no! No one gets left behind!" I roared defiantly. We had already lost enough troops I wasn't going to consider sacrificing more brothers.

"Our walker can't even move. There are six tanks still left, we can provide a good enough distraction. Get our brothers out of here. We were born to die for the Republic," the driver said way to calmly to be considered normal.

The gunner of the walker fired its main gun, destroying one of the tanks that was harassing the two troopers in the AAT. The two other tanks stopped firing at the repulsor tank and moved to start firing at Open Casket. One of the shots hit one of the main legs causing the tank to lurch further to the ground. The tank retaliated by using one of its laser cannons and hitting another droid tank right into the main gun causing it to explode.

"Its been an honor sir," the gunner of the Open Casket said with a tone of finality. I grinned my teeth in frustration and sorrow but the tank crew was right, this was the best chance we had.

"Get that AAT tank over here! Trooper get ready to load all the wounded into the Seppie tank. Everyone else will have to onto the outside of the tank," I ordered solemnly.

What was left of the platoon gathered around me, numbering around 12 soldiers with almost half the amount laying on the ground groaning from the wounds they suffered. Our captured tank arrived a minute later with the rear hatch open, everyone gathered the wounded and piled them inside while the gunner of the AAT made sure that no clankers tried to get the drop on us. Once the wounded was secured we closed the hatch and everyone climbed onto the top of the tank as we sped away from the ruined base. I gave one last look at the practically destroyed walker and its crew as it continued to hold out against the remaining tanks. I turned away from it just when we started driving down the road. Off in the distance I could see our remaining two tanks flanking on either side of the road. Since there were troopers all around the captured Separatist tank they knew not to fire on us.

"ARC trooper Prowl is that you sir?" One of the AT-TE drivers asked.

"This is Prowl," I answered emotionlessly.

"Where is Open Casket?" The driver asked in slight apprehension.

Before I could answer a loud explosion echoed from the base. We all turned and saw a huge billowing stack of smoke coming from the part of the base that Open Casket was in.

"They sacrificed themselves so we could get out of there. Do me a favor and turn any clanker that comes down this way into molten slag," I growled out in anger while our tank drove past the walkers.

"Don't need to tell us twice," the driver stated coldly.

"Tell the Generals that we will fall back in half an hour to cover you're retreat," a different driver requested.

"Copy. See you back at base," I replied emotionlessly.

The drive towards the new outpost was a quiet and depressing one. Everyone was in their own thoughts for what happened for the suicide mission, the aftermath was a lot to take in. It hit me hard as well, first mission that I had to lead and at least half the platoon was dead. Not wounded or missing, no 15 brothers were left to rot at the fallen Republic base. I was going to have to talk to Rex and see how he dealt with the loss of his men, having to lead an entire battalion couldn't have been easy. As we drove deeper into the city, I saw more broken down skyscrapers flanking either side of the large road. I could spot a couple of clone recon teams stationed in a few of the buildings but they were hard to make out in the dark. Eventually we could see the lights from the improvised Republic outpost. A large trench made out of rubble blocked the road so we had to get off the tank. A squad of medics immediately came by to pick up the wounded while the rest of the troopers just sat on the ground to catch their breaths. General Skywalker walked over to us.

"Prowl. What is the status of the platoon?" Skywalker asked. I stood up from the ground and gave the General a weak salute.

"Sir. The platoon has suffered 15 KIAs, 5 WIAs, and we lost AT-TE 214," I states emotionlessly. Skywalker's eyes widened and then were filled with sympathy while placing his hand on my shoulder armor.

"Have you and your men get some rest, you all truly earned it," Skywalker said sympathetically. I turned to my men and gathered all their attention.

"Everyone go relax or find something to eat. I don't want to see anyone from this platoon on duty. Dismissed," I ordered tiredly.  
All the troopers got up and slowly walked over to the Republic outpost. Surprisingly the two troopers that went with me to capture the droid tank walked up to me and saluted.

"It was a lot of fun fighting besides you. You should bring me along for more suicide missions," the trooper half joked.

"You got us through that mission as best as you could. I wouldn't have wanted any other clone leading us," the next trooper stated. Surprise and gratefulness completely washed over me, I had honesty thought that everyone would hate me for how many brothers were killed.

"Thank you, both of you. What are your names?" I asked them.

"Joker sir. But you can probably already guess why," the first trooper answered, his tone indicating that he was smirking.

"Ka'rta sir," the second trooper replied.

"A mandalorian name?" I asked the trooper. My question surprised the trooper if his body language was anything to go on.

"Yes sir. Was given to me by a Mandalorian trainer back on Kamino. I wish I could remember his name, it was like Mal Kirta or something like that," The trooper explained with a sense of nostalgia.

"How did you know it was Mandalorian?" Joker asked.

"I've done my reading on Mandalorian culture. The trainer must've saw something in you if he called you heart," I commented with a smile.

"Yeah he said I had a lot of it with how much I pushed myself in training," The trooper stated.

"Anyways, it was an honor to have such outstanding troopers under my command. If I ever need you I'll give you a call, now go get some rest," I ordered.

The troopers snapped off a salute and walked back to the outpost. Talking to them relieved the burden that I was feeling from the lost of my men, it felt good knowing that I did manage to save at least a few troopers.

* * *

**-time: 1135. Location: Republic outpost-**  
**Invasion of Christophsis: day 5**

A lot had happened during the time the platoon and I were holding back the droid armored convoy. From what the Generals had told me the battle in space had gone from bad to worse. Our fleet had managed to completely destroy the latest set of droid reinforcements but at the cost of losing almost all our ships except General Skywalker's flagship. Once the battle had been settled, General Kenobi sent the flagship to get supplies and reinforcements, communications off world had been completely jammed by the Separatists. During the confusion of the evacuation from our base, Slick had managed to escape from his prison cell and there had been no sign of him since. The Generals managed to erect a nice barrier made out of rubble to create a barricade in front of the road. The barricade was meant to prevent droid tanks from advancing as well as provide cover for troops. The heavy cannons had been assembled and were far behind our own lines and were well secured. The cannons had perfect fields of fire on the main road making any assault a costly one. A field hospital was also created out of the ruins of a downed building near where the heavy cannons were, medical supplies were one of the main things that were taken out of the base. Unfortunately everyone was running out of ammo, we had just been attacked at least an hour ago by three company sized units of B1 and B2 battle droids. Casualties were light but a vast amount of our ammo had been expended, even I was running low on charge packs for my rifle and I only had a single det left. Right now I was in a meeting with Captain Rex, Commander Cody and the Generals on how to engage should the enemy attack. General Skywalker was going to go over details of the plan when a loud explosion erupted towards the front of the line. Everyone ran away from the holo table we had been surrounding and turned towards the front lines. Bodies of soldiers were laid on the ground with smoking holes in their armor as bright red and blue blaster bolts were zipping through the air. The few troopers that had guard duty at the moment where returning fire with more and more soldiers heading towards the front. Some troopers outside the barrier were taking cover behind a downed Republic tank. Skywalker, Cody and I were ahead of Rex and Cody as we finally saw the advancing army of droids heading towards us. Sheer size of this attack was enough to make me wonder if we could actually win.

"There back!" Skywalker turned and shouted to Kenobi. Kenobi and Rex finally managed to catch up as the blonde Jedi pulled out his lightsaber.

"I told you this victory was too easy. We never should have sent the ship back for supplies," the Jedi master argued calmly over the intense battle going on behind us.

"It wasn't my idea to send the ship back," the brown haired Jedi knight countered.

"Alright men second wave incoming," General Kenobi addressed the men that had gathered around us.

"Rex, you and your men follow me," Skywalker ordered us in a serious tone.

Rex nodded and the three of us immediately began to sprint towards one of the buildings that housed some of our equipment. I contacted Denal and told him to gather a few troopers to meet us there. Once we had arrives inside the building Skywalker opened a crate that held a few sets of jetpacks. Just at that moment Denal and some of his soldiers had gathered in the building. The men he had picked all had blue details on their armor, signifying that they were from our original platoon on Geonosis. Denal made an addition to his present blue details by adding two blue lines on the facial part of the helmet going down to the edge from the visor.

"Everyone put on a jetpack," Skywalker ordered quickly. Everyone grabbed a set and attached it to their back.

As soon as we were done Skywalker opened the door for an elevator that we all clambered in. It felt like we had been in there for hours as the battle continued raging on with more and more brothers getting killed. With a small ping the door opened and Skywalker led the way onto a large sphere like structure on the building. Rex, myself and the rest of the men stood behind him as he looked out onto the battlefield.

"Whats our plan of attack sir?" Rex asked. The General glanced back at Rex with a smirk on his face and a small glint in his eyes.

"Follow me," he merely stated.

Without saying another word the General jumped off the building with a flip, plummeting at high speeds until landing onto of one of the tri droids and activating his sky blue lightsaber.

"You heard him lads lets go!" Rex roared as he activated his jetpack and flew down towards the battlefield.

I was right behind my brother with the rest of the team behind me. We all landed right next to another tri droid and immediately opened fire on the three legged clanker. Troopers within the team were calling out to one another as we moved as a unit to take down the droid. The tri droid ignored us and opened fire on General Skywalker. The General deflected each shot with his lightsaber as we continued our attack. Suddenly I could hear our army rushing the enemy in a desperate charge against the enemy. I had voiced my disagreement with this part of the plan but the Generals pointed out that we didn't have the strength or the supplies to hold out in a siege. I got down one knee after having to roll away from the tri droid's foot and fired a long burst into the bulbous head of the droid. Each bolt pushed the armor further and further in until finally it gave way and revealed the hardware inside the war machine.

"Focus fire on the weak spot!" I shouted to the soldiers.

Everyone concentrated their aim for the hole in the armor and fired while General Skywalker destroyed the tri droid he was on and then lept onto a different one. The entire bulk of our garrison was hammering the enemy attackers, our single tank, the heavy cannons and the combined effort of two battalions was ripping the tinnies to shreds. We finally managed to hit a important spot in the tri droid causing it to to explode and then collapse to the ground. Skywalker jumped into the air and slice one of the tri droids legs causing it to topple and fall. With the last of the lead units destroyed, both battalions formed up and created a new line. I stood next to Denal and a couple soldiers from the 212th as we focused on an AAT tank. Soon enough a heavy cannon knocked out the tank in a shinning red and blue explosion. We switched to a new target and continued firing. Every soldier focused fire upon the enemy tanks that were slowly coming forward while they tried to retaliate with cannon fire. The heavy cannons were making short work of the stationary targets until the tanks and the infantry supporting them retreated. As they retreated the distant sound of a shuttle engine began to come from the rear. Everyone looked up and cheered at the sight of a Nu attack shuttle flying in and landing somewhere within out outpost. I took off my helmet and ran my glove covered hand through my hair. I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked to see that it was Rex standing with out his helmet.

"I'm going to head over to look out post. It'd be great to have a former sniper if needed," Rex suggested. I shrugged off his shoulder and playfully slugged him in the arm.

"What do you mean 'former sniper'? I can still outshoot anyone in the battalion brother," I stated with a grin. Rex shook his head and motioned me to follow instead of replying.

It took a few minutes but we managed to get to the central look out post which was on top of one of the skyscrapers nearby. A couple of clones were moving supply crates while a single soldier stood nearby with a DC-15a rifle pointed towards the front. Rex grabbed a pair of macro binoculars and looked towards the recon teams we had out there. I simply sat down with my back against the wall while I took a cleaning rag to polish my rifle.

"That last attack was a close one. I wonder how many men we lost," I said quietly.

"We had taken 19 KIAs and 23 WIAs. It could've been worse," Rex replied trying to reassure me. I went to talk to Rex after the rearguard mission and he helped me cope with the losses of my men but the damage had been done. I was very adamant now on anything that would cause high casualties.

"We could've found another way. The 212th shouldn't of had to charge the enemy so recklessly," I argued while grinding my teeth. Rex sighed.

"We went over this already Prowl. We don't have the manpower or the supplies to be able to fight them from cover. It was either we rushed them or they rushed us," my brother countered.

"But maybe I could of been with a small team to stall the enemy or capture some tanks or-" I tried to reason but Rex cut me off.

"And then what Prowl? You are just one soldier even if you are an ARC trooper. You have gone above and beyond to save as many soldiers as you can and thats the thing. Being a good leader and a good soldier isn't about saving everyone, its about being able to save those you can and honor those you couldn't," Rex explained wisely. I sighed and decided not to argue any further.

I may be an ARC but Rex was the one who was basically born and trained to lead soldiers, he knew what he was doing. I looked up and saw General Skywalker walking towards us with a small orange torgruta wearing a small top, brown skirt with a purple design going down the middle and white tights going towards brown boots. At her side was a lightsaber. Her face was covered in intricate white markings while the tails coming from her head were blue and white. I nudged Rec in the shin and got up, putting the cleaning rag away and shouldering my rifle. Rex gave a signal to one of recon teams before walking towards the General. I followed behind Rex.

"What the status Rex?" The General asked the Captain immediately.

"All quiet for now sir. They're gearing up for another assault," Rex answered professionally. Rex finally took notice of the girl that was standing next to Skywalker.

"Who's the youngling?" Rex asked. The girl turned towards all three of us.

"I'm Master Skywalker's Padawan. The names Ahsoka Tano," the youngling answered.

Both Rex and I looked at the General in confusion.

"Sir I thought you said you'd never have a padawan,"

"Not only that but we're in the middle of a war zone. Not the place to have inexperienced troops," I added.

"There's been a mix up the youngling isn't with me," Skywalker explained.

"Stop calling me that! You're stuck with my sky guy," Ahsoka stated with a smirk.

Now this caused both Rex and I to start laughing at how the youngling just made fun of the General's name. I had to admit, for a green youngling she did make up for it in personality. Skywalker however didn't find it amusing in the slightest. He immediately turned on the young Padawan.

"What did you just call me? Don't get snippy with me, little one. I don't even think you're old enough to be a Padawan," Skywalker argued while getting in her face.

"Well, maybe I'm not. But Master Yoda thinks I am," she countered back with a smile. Seriously I've never seen someone tell off the General like this.

"Well you're not with Master Yoda now. So if you're ready, you'd better start proving it. Captain Rex and ARC trooper Prowl will show you how a little respect can go a long way," Skywalker explained while gesturing to the both of us.

I groaned while Rex just looked uncomfortable. I wasn't up for teaching a rookie, let alone a Jedi rookie. She may seem confident but I got the feeling her type of attitude could get us all killed. Rex stepped forward while trying to find the right words to say.

"Uh...right. Come on, youngling," Rex tried to be enthusiastic about this.

"Padawan," Ahsoka mumbled under her breath.

"Rookie," I whispered to her.

This caused the small torgruta to glare at. I wouldn't admit this to anyone but the way she stared me down almost made me want to take cover.  
Rex and I decided to escort her around the rear of the outpost. We had already shown her the field hospital, the groans of the injured men affected not just her but Rex and I. His face just hardened, she looked on in horror while the sight just brought me back to the suicide rearguard mission. We left shortly after and now we were walking around the heavy cannons.

"Have you thought about moving that line back, Captain? They'd have better cover that way," Ahsoka suggested to Rex.

"Thanks for the suggestion but General Skywalker thinks they're fine where they are," Rex stated calmly.

"So...if you're a Captain, your friend is an ARC trooper, and I'm a Jedi, then technically I outrank you right? She asked curiously.

"No offense rookie but I'm not taking orders from you anytime soon. I trust those who know what they are doing," I said nonchalantly. It may have seemed harsh but honestly I wasn't going to let an eager inexperienced Jedi get myself or my brothers killed.

"What Prowl is trying to say is that experience outranks everything," Rex said while giving me a glare that said 'what the hell?'. Surprisingly Ahsoka didn't seem to take it to heart, instead her face turned to that of motivated and determined.

"Well if experience outranks everything, I guess I'd better start getting some. What's that?" Ahsoka asked as we all heard what sounded like the activation of an energy relates device.

We all looked to where the droids where based and saw a expanding dome of red energy.

"Shit," I muttered while unslinging my rifle from my shoulder.

"Not good. They've got an energy shield. It's going to make things damn near impossible. If you want experience little one, it looks like you're about to get plenty," Rex stated gravely to the young Padawan.

Ahsoka looked at us slightly in fear before looking out to the to where the dome was.

"Prowl. Call back all recon troops tell them they need to run as fast as they can. I'm going to bring Ahsoka back to General Skywalker," Rex ordered. He gestured to the youngling and ran towards the main staging area.

I proceeded to run towards the main barricade while activating my communicator and accessing the recon team comm channel.

"This is ARC trooper Prowl to all recon teams. Pull back immediately, the enemy is preparing for another assault," I ordered to everyone.

"This is scout 2-1 heading back to base,"

"Scout 2-4 here already on my way,"

"Scout 2-7 packing up and leaving post over,"

"Head back to base and report to either Captain Rex or Commander Cody," I interrupted everyone and then left the comm channel. I was then contacted by General Skywalker.

"Prowl, I want you to gather a squad of five men. They will be under your strict command and you will only answer to General Kenobi. Cause havoc anyway you see fit. Ill see you when this is over, General Skywalker out," Skywalker ordered before ending the channel.

I processed the information that I was given and realize that the General ordered me to command my own special forces squad however I see fit. Unfortunately there weren't any other ARCs within the 501st or the 212th so I would have to command standard troopers. I thought back to the two troopers that were under my command yesterday and realized they could fit what I needed. I opened a comm channel with Denal to see if he knew where the two where.

"Prowl? What's going on I'm getting the platoon ready for the assault," Denal asked over the sounds of soldiers gathering their equipment.

"I need to know where the troopers Joker and Ka'rta are right now. The General wants me to command a squad and lead them during the attack" I explained.

"Last I heard they were at the field hospital checking in on their sergeant. You better hurry though from how things are sounding the droids are getting closer," Denal stated with caution.

"Thanks brother, I'll see you on the battlefield," I said thankful and then ended the comm.

I started running towards the hospital past all the troopers in chalk armor that was dirtied and scuffed from fighting. The sounds of the heavy cannons started going off, no doubt in an attempt to pierce the shields. Finally I arrived at the field hospital as spare medics continued treating those that needed attention while getting supplies ready for the upcoming battle. I kept looking until I saw 5 troopers all in their armor with weapons at their side.

"Joker, Ka'rta," I called out to them.

The two troopers looked at me and began to walk over.

"Sir? What are you doing here?" Ka'rta asked in confusion.

"I need a squad to go cause chaos amongst the droid lines. Figured you guys would be the best troops to find," I answered honestly. Joker nudged his friend in his side.

"Would you look at that Ka'rta. An ARC recognizing the skill that we posses," Joker boasted proudly. I rolled my eyes.

"Will you be taking the rest of the squad sir?" Ka'rta asked respectfully.

I thought about it for a moment before shaking my head.

"No, it'd be best if our team is small. That way we're more mobile, lets go," I ordered.

With that said we all ran outside just as the energy dome was befitting to encroach on our lines. We sprinted as fast as we could towards the front where most of the army was positioned just behind the rubble barricade. The energy dome was surrounding a building nearby where a firefight was going on.

"Should we head there and provide support sir?" Ka'rta asked. I nodded and we all raced over to that area. Once we got inside the building we saw troopers falling back inside as droids began to pour in. Nearby was a small console that General Kenobi and Captain Rex were taking over in.

"Fire at will!" I ordered while firing a couple shot, hitting a B2 droid and knocking it down.

The two troopers unleashed a hail of fire from their carbines, causing some more super battle droids to fall down. This caused some of the droids in the building to begin taking shots at us. Joker got down on one knee and kept firing while I went prone and aimed for the heads of B1s. Ka'rta did the smart thing and threw a droid popper, landing in the midst of B2s, causing all of them to crash into the ground. Unfortunately even with our combined efforts we still couldn't stem the tide of war machines. I saw Rex begin to fall back along with the rest of the troopers to exit the building.

"Fall back I'll cover you!" I ordered to the two soldiers under my command.

I switched my rifle to automatic and fired a long stream of blaster fire, hitting some of the droids and causing the rest to seek cover. Joker and Ka'rta immediately ran out the building with me right behind them while firing a couple bursts. Once we were out of the building it was clear that the situation was getting worst. The droid army was advancing towards the barricade and were pounding the area. Our last walker was doing its best to take out enemy tanks but eventually it was destroyed. The droids now outnumbered us in numbers and in armor superiority, I was surprised they hadn't sent a fighters to perform strafing runs.

"What are we going to do now?" Joker asked quietly. I kept looking around, trying to find someway of evening the odds. I noticed a building close to the advancing droids that was swaying back and forth slightly. Its structure was heavy damaged and was close to collapse.

"How many thermal detonators do you have?" I demanded urgently. Ka'rta shook his head but Joker took out two grenades from his belt.

I held my hands out as he tossed the two grenades to me. I attached them to my utility belts and looked back at them.

"Head back to the line and help Captain Rex. Thanks for the help but this is as far as you guys go," I explained to them while turning to head towards the enemy lines.

"No can do sir, we're going to see this through," Ka'rta stated in determination. I looked back and saw that Joker nodded in agreement. It was touching to me that these men were willing to go on another suicide mission.

"Ok this is what I want u to do, take these two dets and plant them within the foundation of that building by the road. After you will wait for my signal," I ordered while jogging towards the enemy line.

"What will be the signal?" Joker yelled.

"You'll know it when you see it!" I shouted back while slipping inside the red dome.

I took cover as I crept past the main lines of infantry as they fired at our army. Once the tanks began to pass me I rushed out onto the road and climbed onto the closest tank. I immediately fired a hole in the crews cabin and slipped inside, destroying the droid crew immediately. I pushed aside the broken husk of the tank driver and moved the controls so that the tank drove towards the building. I saw Joker and Ka'rta taking cover as they traded shots with a few battle droids. I used the side guns to wipe out the droids quickly. The two troopers cheered but then stopped as they saw my tank continuing towards their position.

"Get out of the way!" I shouted to them over the comm channel.

They quickly got out of the way as I left a timed thermal det inside the tank and lowered the hatch so that I could jump out. As I fell to the ground I heard the tank collided into the building causing the structure to groan in protest. The building was pushed past its limit as the explosives went off. I looked up and saw the skyscraper rapidly coming down on me. I rolled to the right and dove to the side just as the building crashed to the ground. I felt a pair of hands help me up, I looked and saw that Ka'rt was covering us while Joker pulled me up. The entire droid army was cut in half literally. The infantry and some tanks were on the side in front if the Republic garrison while the rest of the armor was blocked on the other side.

"Nice job if I do say so myself sir," Joker chuckled as I managed to stand up on my feet.

"I think things are getting a lot better now sir," Ka'rta commented. I looked in confusion to what he was referring to and saw that the energy dome was receding. This meant that the heavy cannons could start firing again.

"Well?" I asked my men as I readied my rifle. They both looked at me in confusion.

"Are we going to show these clankers not to mess with the soldiers of the Republic or not?!" I shouted while running pass them.

"Yes sir!" Joker and Ka'rta shouted as they ran with me while we all fired at the confused and stunned droids.

* * *

**Prowl: Glad that's over, that battle was almost as bad as tibrim**

**Rex: It could of been worse**

**Denal: how so**

**Rex: Denal could of made a bet and lost, his men could of suffered**

**Denal: -glares at me- that joke is getting old buddy**

**Deathz: - grabs Denal by the collar- listen here you di'kut, I make the rules here. So help me I'll turn you into Jar-Jars wife where you have hundreds of babies with him. Understand?**

**Denal: -nods at super speed-**

**Deathz: I do not own any part of star wars or its characters except my own OCs. PAR KOTE BAL IJAAT BE MAND'ALOR!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's note: ATTENTION! ATTENTION! ATTENTION! If you are reading this then good, unfortunately I have bad news. Starting tomorrow I will be taking college classes again so that means that updates will be coming out slower once more. However I will continue writing this story it will just take time. Good news is that in the summer I will have time to update the story more frequently. I hope you enjoy this next chapter. I do not own star wars or any of its characters.**

* * *

**-time: 1320. Location: new Republic staging area-**  
**Invasion of Christophsis: day 5**

Shortly after the energy dome was taken out, the last of our forces and the heavy cannons wiped out the rest of the droid army. My team and I personally took out another 30 droids and two tanks. Just in time, Republic reinforcements broke through the atmosphere, Republic gunships immediately deployed fresh troops to secure a landing area as a acclamator capital ship landed nearby unloading wave upon wave of tanks and soldiers. General Skywalker and General Kenobi issues a general order for all troops in the 501st and the 212th to gather their supplies to be moved off world. I saluted Joker and Ka'rta and watched them head back to their squad. I proceeded to meet up with Denal and his men as they were gathering their gear onto gunships.

"Hell of a battle eh Prowl?" Denal asked me once the gunship closed its doors and we headed into orbit.

"Yeah no kidding, I'm glad we managed to get out of the battle mostly intact," I said solemnly.

"Don't start with that depressing crap brother. We did the best we could and we did survive," Denal said sympathetically while placing his hand on my shoulder. I thought on his words and tried to get out of the funk I was in.

"Yeah you're right. Sorry, that rear guard mission still bothers me. But you're right, we survived and we need to keep fighting for the fallen," I stated in a determined tone. Denal slapped my shoulder a couple times in agreement.

"Now there is the average sniper I know and hate dearly," Denal joked.

"Sounds like someone is still mad that they never made ARC," I said nonchalantly while looking off to the side.

Everyone inside the LAAT started laughing at my reply. It was a well known fact on how much Denal hated that I made ARC before he did. Denal grumbled and shoved a few of his men in frustration.

"Next person that laughs gets triple laboratory duties," our lovable sergeant said coldly. That quickly shut everyone up.

Soon enough our gunship stopped moving and the doors opened to reveal the gray interior of an acclamator hangar bay.

"All 501st soldiers! Report to living quarters area 2 for to unload and secure bunking space!" The intercom system announced.

All the members of the 501st looked at each other before heading off to the designated area for our legion. Denal and I walked together in comfortable silence, we had always bunked together even during training days of Kamino. Each room only had enough space for 4 beds, we never cared for our other roommates and we usually got along with them anyway. Denal and I unloaded our gear and armor, we then put on grey navy and sat next to each other on Denal's bed.

"So what do you think our next battle will be?" Denal asked while laying on his bunk with hands behind his head.

"I don't know, I just want to be on leave already," I sighed tiredly while reaching for my data pad.

"Don't you ever get tired of reading about Mandalorian culture?" Denal asked jokingly.

"Nope, why get tired of the life I'll live once the war is over," I replied. Denal sat up and punched me in the shoulder.

"Well you might as well tell me more about it since I'll be with you," Denal stated with a smile.

"Well you remember the man that we are based off?" I asked. My brother nodded.

"Well apparently, he was the person to pick up Jaster Meerel's legacy and lead the super commandos for a brief amount of time," I explained. This information surprised Denal.

"Whoa whoa whoa. You're telling me that the bounty hunter that General Windu killed was also the guy who supported and practically was a part of the belief we want to live after the war?" the sergeant asked incredulously.

"Yup," I answered. Denal opened and closed his mouth a couple times, trying to find the right words to say.

"So then...are we supposed to hate General Windu?" Denal asked. I opened my mouth to reply but then left it opened as I pondered the question. This confused me as well.

"I'm...not sure. I know that Mandalorians generally dislike Jedi so maybe but I don't know. This would be a hell of a lot easier if we had someone who actually is a Mandalorian," I sighed in frustration.

"You know I heard some of the clone commandos had Mandalorian trainers," Denal pointed out helpfully.

"Well if we run into them we'll ask," I suggested.

For a couple of hours we continued talking about what would we do when we got on Mandalore. Being bounty hunters was the profession we wanted but we were unsure if we should keep it to ourselves or make a bounty hunter organization. Denal came up with a few ridiculous names such as fodder hunters and the bloody duo. Each name earned him a punch to the shoulder. Seriously, no one can just come up with those type of names by accident. Suddenly our cabin door opened, revealing General Skywalker and Commander Tano. We both got out of our bed and saluted the two.

"Denal, Prowl. Ahsoka will be staying in your cabin until we reach our next destination," Skywalker explained to us as Ahsoka took the other bottom bunk.

"Sir what exactly is our next destination?" I asked the General.

"We're heading to the planet Teth. Apparently Jabba's son has been kidnapped and the kidnappers were seen at Teth. We are to rescue the small hutt in hopes of making a treaty with gangster," the General sneered in disgust. Denal and I nodded. The General then left, leaving us with Commander Tano.

"So this is the youngling you told me about?" Denal asked me.

"Stop calling me that! I'm not a youngling I'm a Padawan. Say it with me, Pa-da-wan," Ahsoka tried to explain in frustration. Denal and I looked at each other. Denal then looked back at the Torgruta.

"Young-ling," he sounded it out as calmly as possible. Then both Denal and I were laughing hysterically while Ahsoka hit herself in the face with a pillow.

"Relax rookie we're just messing with you," I said while chuckling. Ahsoka stopped hitting herself to glare at me but then her expression changed to realization.

"Weren't you the ARC trooper I met earlier on Christophsis?" Ahsoka asked curiously.

"Yup thats me," I answered while sitting back down and getting my data pad. Denal sat next to me and looked at the information as well.

"What are you guys looking at?" The Commander asked curiously while sitting on her bed.

"A data file on Mandalorian culture," I replied while still looking at the information.

"I've heard of Mandalorians from the history lessons back at the temple. Didn't they hate the Jedi and fought against the Republic?" Commander Tano asked.

"Yeah but not all Mandalorians wish to stick with their brutal warlord ways. A Mandalorian by the name of Jaster Meerel wanted to have a system of balance between peace and still being a warrior," I explained. Hearing this made Ahsoka tilt her head in confusion.

"I've never heard of Jaster Meerel. All we learned in the Jedi temple was that either Mandalorians wanted war or peace, not a middle ground," Ahsoka stated.

"Why would the Jedi withhold that kind of information? Its like they want to have Mandalorians looked at in a bad light," Denal questioned suspiciously.

It confused me as well, I thought Jedi were supposed to be the peacekeepers. Yet from what Ahsoka and the data file was telling me that the Jedi had some sort of grudge towards Mandalorians.

"Well we'll have to fix this. We can educate you with as much knowledge that we know if you want," I offered. Ahsoka nodded.

* * *

**-time: 1580. Location: in orbith above Teth-**

For the rest of time we were in hyperspace, we talked about the super commando codex. Surprisingly Ahsoka thought the codex was a wise ideal for the people of Mandalore. However, she felt that the Jedi had the right to act towards Mandalore the way they did in the past. Given that she was a Jedi, she would support them. Denal and I believed that a better solution could of been found. At the moment, a platoon size force of men were gathered in the hangar with the General and Commander standing in front of the crowd. Myself and Rex were standing next to General Skywalker.

"This is the situation. Someone managed to kidnap Jabba's son and is holding them on Teth. It should be a simple operation so a small platoon under the name "Torrent Company". Unfortunately this cruiser doesn't have the fuel necessary to stay once we have arrived so we will be on our own until General Kenobi gets here, any questions?" Skywalker asked after giving the briefing.

"Sir what type of weaponry will we have access to?" One of the troopers asked.

"Standard armament. We need mobility if we are going to get Jabba's son in time. Any other questions?" Skywalker asked.

"We'll we have any tanks with us?" Another soldier asked.

"Two walkers will be assigned to the company but that's it. We've already wasted enough time we need to move now," Skywalker ordered.

Everyone immediately dispersed and got on board the gunships that were available to us. Rex, Skywalker, Ahsoka and I all got into the same gunship as well as a few troopers. When the other troopers got on board I realized that most of Torrent Company was made up of the survivors of my original platoon. Rex must've realized because when he saw them he began talking to them. I was never really close to the other members of the platoon since I stuck with Denal and Rex but I did care for them. The gunship doors closed as the vehicle lifted off the ground and flew out of the hangar. The rest of the gunships followed after us. Through the blast shields I could see all the clouds littering the blue sky as we raced down towards the surface. I turned back to see the hologram pf General Kenobi wearing a brown hood.

"Alright Anakin here's the story. Jabba has given us only one planetary rotation to get his son back home to Tatooine safe and sound," General Kenobi explained.

"Won't take us that long Master," Skywalker replied nonchalantly.

"Well take extreme care. We have no idea who's holding Jabba's son. When I finish negotiations with him I will join you," Kenobi stated, when he finished speaking the hologram cut off.

We continued flying for a few minutes in silence, everyone's mind on what possibilities we could be facing.

"Stay close to me, if you can," Skywalker said confidently to Ahsoka.

"It won't be a problem Master," the Torgruta replied with equal confidence.

"This isn't practice Ahsoka," the General stated in a serious tone.

"I know. And i'll try not to get you killed," Ahsoka replied with a smile. Hearing this caused the General to smile back.

Suddenly the ship shook violently as the sound of explosions echoed all around us.

"Sir, we're taking heavy fire," our pilot exclaimed.

"Close the blast shields pilot and get us under those guns," Skywalker ordered.

"Yes sir!" The pilot replied. Immediately the gunship cabin became dark and was then bathed in a red light. The clones immediately began to get ready for the attack.

"Ridge you're coms got static,"

"Got it,"

"Red light, stand by,"

Everyone readied their rifles for the probable firefight we were about to jump into. The gunship began to slow down as we got closer and closer to the ground.

"Welcome to paradise rock jumpers," the pilot called out to us.

Soon enough we landed on the ground. As the light changed to green the doors opened.

"Go go go!" Rex ordered to all the troops.

Quickly everyone poured out into the forest. I set my scope setting to maximum as I took by a tree to see what we were facing. Battle droids and dwarf spiders were encamped on a huge ledge over looking our position and firing down on us. Unfortunately my rifle didn't have the range to make any shots from our position. Our troops continued moving forward while our tanks were returning fire for the rest of the company. I looked to my right and saw Ahsoka wielding a green lightsaber, deflecting any blaster bolts heading her way.

"Commander! We need to meet up with the rest of the men!" I shouted to her.

She looked at me and nodded, deactivating her lightsaber and running to the foot of the mountain. I followed her as more and more bolts and explosions rained down around us. When we got into cover a droid collided with the ground, it tried to stand up only to be hit in the head with a pair of macro binoculars. I stood next to Ahsoka while watching this happen.

"So, this is where the fun begins," Ahsoka stated casually.

"I'll race you to the top," General Skywalker challenged.

"I'll give you a head start," Ahsoka smirked.

"You're mistake," the General replied.

"Ascension cables!" Rex ordered.

Every trooper attached a cable mount to their rifle and fired just directly below the mountain's edge. I didn't need a cable since I had a jetpack, so I activated it and flew upwards while dodging blaster fire. From time to time I would hover in the air to try and return fire although I doubted that I was actually hitting anyone. I heard the crunching of rock as the tanks began to climb up as well. I continued hovering in the air providing suppressive fire for the men when I heard the sound of groaning metal and an explosion. I looked and saw that one of our tanks had been hit and was plummeting to the ground. I turned to the other tank to see the gunner getting shot out of his seat. I was surprised to see Ahsoka latched onto the tank and then jump to the cockpit of the walker and defend against any blaster fire heading her way. I flew over to the tank and slung my rifle over my shoulder as I sat in the gunner's seat.

"Mind if I help out Commander?" I called out as I fired the main gun and succeeded in hitting a dwarf spider.

"Not at all Prowly," the Torgruta joked.

"Ah no no no, no nicknames!" I shouted over the cannon firing again.

"Whatever you say Prowly!" She shouted back while laughing. Oh I was so getting her back for that later.

Over the firefight I began to hear a high pitch humming noise heading right towards us. I looked to my left and saw four STAPs flying towards us. I took out my blaster pistol and fired as fast as I could. Unfortunately they all dodged my shots and fired back, hitting the ground underneath the walker's front legs. Ahoska tried to block some of the shots but most managed to get past her. A small smoke cloud appeared as the ground underneath the legs weakened. The walker began to lean backwards as it had no support holding it down. I was practically thrown out of the gunner's seat and was hanging on to the back of the seat with just one hand. I looked up and saw that Ahsoka was barely holding on to the top of the cockpit.

"Hold on Commander!" I shouted frantically.

"Oh yeah because I was just about to let go!" Ahsoka snapped back fearfully.

I could hear the STAPs coming back for another attack as the walker continues to try and right itself. I activated my jetpack and flew up to the Commander, reaching out with my hand. The Padawan immediately grabbed on and I helped her get back onto the cockpit. I was still in the air and aimed my rifle towards the STAPs just when the General jumped onto the walker and lunged at the flying droids. He hopped on each one like skipping stones while slicing off their heads, when he got to the last one he simply kicked the droid off and stole the STAP. The general then flew past the both of us while looking back at Ahsoka.

"Got to keep up," Skywalker called out as he continued flying up the mountain.

"Hey! No fair!" Ahsoka shouted in frustration. She then turned to the driver and started pounding on the window.

"Get this thing moving! Ahsoka shouted as the walker had its front feet back on the mountain.

It took us at least five minutes to get to the top of the mountain. Fortunately we didn't have to worry about anymore resistance since Skywalker pretty much shot any droid he came across when he was flying the STAP. When our walker reached the top I saw the General surrounded by destroyer droids.

"Blast it Ahsoka. I told you to stay close to me," Skywalker said while reading his lightsaber.

I chose that moment to fire the main gun, obliterating the destroyer droids.

Once the droids were destroyed the General looked back to see the walker along with myself and Ahsoka standing next to the cannon.

"I can't get much closer Skyguy," Ahsoka stated while crossing her arms.

"I knew you'd get here Snips, eventually," the General tried to act casual about the whole thing.

"Always in time to save your life," Ahsoka replied while getting off the tank.

"Whoa whoa whoa. I was the one who fired the cannon. Don't take credit for my kills rookie," I said jokingly while jumping down from the walker.

"He has a point Snips," the General pointed out.

Ahsoka just looked at me with a pout while crossing her arms.

I simply shrugged and continued walking around, surveying the area while pointing my rifle at the fallen droids in case they weren't really destroyed. The rest of the men soon started climbing to the top and were securing the area and checking for any potential threats. Captain Rex walked up the the General.

"All clear General," my brother stated.

"Nice work Rex. Have some men look after the wounded," the young Jedi knight ordered.

"Roger that sir. The gunships have returned to the cruiser and will depart momentarily," Rex stated.

"I'll go organize the wounded Captain," I said to Rex. Rex nodded in thanks.

"Denal! Get four of our men to start moving the wounded to the courtyard," I shouted to Denal who was standing with one of the men.

"Copy that!" Denal replied.

I headed over to where one of the wounded troopers were. He had taken two bolts to his left leg and could barely stand let alone move. I offered him my arm to help him up and then slung his arm around my shoulder as I carried him towards the courtyard. After five minutes, Denal and I had moved the wounded to a shades spit with the courtyard towards one of the walls. Our wounded totaled up to 3 while our KIAs were around 6, not including the lost tank crew and killed gunner. At the moment Denal and I were just standing next to each other.

"How did all these battle droids get here in the first place?" Denal asked while gesturing to the pile of broken droids.

"The Separatists don't just let their war machines have free reign. This probably was all planned out by the enemy," I answered while checking the charge pack in my rifle.

"Yeah but whats the purpose of it all? Why not hire bounty hunters and then send in their droid armies to make the Separatists look like the good guys?" Denal wondered while sitting against the wall.

Denal brought up a good point, something wasn't right with this entire operation. We sat down against the wall in silence, watching as the rest of Torrent Company get settled. The walker was moving into the courtyard while all the troopers organized a perimeter. I saw a sergeant head over to Captain Rex and speak about the perimeter, Rex then went and spoke to the General. A few minutes later the General's star fighter landed in the middle of the courtyard being driven by R2.

"It must be cool having an astromech," I stated suddenly.

"How?" Denal asked in confusion while stopping his examination of his carbine.

"Because its like having a super smart tech friend and look at the General and his droid, they've been together since the blockade of Naboo," I explained. Denal thought about it for a moment before going back to check his rifle.

"Yeah that is a good point," Denal reasoned.

We heard the sound of something crying towards the center of the courtyard. We both looked up and saw General Skywalker and Commander Tano securing Jabba's son to a Republic backpack. I had expected the gangsters son to be young but I was surprised to see that it was an infant.

"Denal and Prowl! Head towards the front of the monastery and watch for any ships coming in," Rex ordered from the other half of the courtyard.

Denal and I both stood up and walked over to the front of the monastery, the surrounding forest and clouds expanding all the way out to the horizon. Suddenly we heard the screech of a star ships engine heading towards us. We both looked up to see droid landing crafts as well as fighters heading towards us.

"We need to get back to the courtyard!" I said frantically to my brother.

He nodded and we both ran back inside towards our company just to see a droid fighter come in and destroy the General's fighter.

"We got spiders inbound!" A trooper shouted.

Denal and I looked back to see a dwarf spider along with battle droids marching into the hangar. I got down on one knee and fired a quick burst into a super battle droid. The bolts hit the droid in the arm, causing the charge pack in its arm to explode, blowing off the limb of the droid. Denal fired a couple shots into the growing mass of droids, knocking down a couple tinnies. A couple destroyer droids rolled up to the front of the formation only to be destroyed when our tank's main cannon fired at war machines. I took a thermal det from one of my pouches and lobbed it into a group of battle droids, scattering their parts all around the battlefield. Unfortunately a pair of dwarf spiders managed to get lucky and kill the AT-TE driver causing the entire tank to collapse. With the destruction of our only armor support casualties were mounting rapidly. I switched my gun to automatic and hosed down the entire front row of droids, destroying at least ten clankers. Denal fired a couple well aimed shots, taking down a super battle droid.

"Fall back!" The General shouted to us.

"Denal go I'll cover you!" I yelled over the battle.

Denal didn't bother to reply and just ran while I slowly walked backwards while still firing my rifle. It was beginning to glow hot as it fired nonstop but it was worth it when two more super battle droids went down. My gun suddenly clicked as I held down the trigger and I knew that the charge pack was empty. I immediately turn and ran towards the closing gates of the monastery. As I ran back I saw a trooper go down who was trying to hold back the enemy. At the moment it was just me and the General still outside. I dove to the ground and activated my jetpack, propelling me against the stone floor but getting me inside the monastery just when the General got in as the gate closed. Denal helped me to my feet as the General stood up on his own. Skywalker walked over the Rex as everyone huddled around the two. I reloaded my rifle as the two began to talk to each other.

"Captain, we'll stay here until General Kenobi arrives with reinforcements," Skywalker stated. The Jedi knight turned and saw his Padawan staring at him who was still holding the Huttlet.

"What?" Skywalker asked.

"Do you honestly think we can hold them off? We've got to find a way out of here," Ahsoka said.

"Our mandate is to protect this Hutt and thats what we're going to do Ahsoka," Skywalker stated stubbornly.

"Our mandate was to get this Hutt back to Tatooine and time is running out!" The Torgruta persisted defiantly.

"I suppose you have a plan," General Skywalker said. R2 just chose that moment to start making his array of beeps and rings.

"Yes. Or so I think so, R2 willing," Ahsoka explained optimistically. Skywalker let a small smile form on his face.

"All right Snips. I'll trust you on this one. Captain, hold them hear as long as you can," Skywalker ordered Rex.

"Will do sir. You heard the General! Get ready to turn those clankers into scrap metal!" Red shouted inspirationally.

This caused everyone including myself to let out cheers of defiance towards our enemy. But deep down I knew this battle was going to be tough. As we were now, we only had 17 troopers with us, the rest had died in the fighting to take the monastery or to defend it. To make matters worse, another two soldiers had been injured, making the amount of men capable of fighting be twelve. I took cover behind one of the struts supporting the ceiling and aimed my rifle towards the door. We waited anxiously as we could hear the droids try to cut their way into the thick metal door. I was surprised when Rex opened a private channel to me over our helmets.

"Prowl. When the fighting starts and we start to get overwhelmed, I want you to take Denal and as many men as possible and retreat further into the monastery," Rex said calmly. I had to stop myself from staring right at Rex.

"What are you talking about?! I'm staying here to hold the line with you and the rest of our brothers!" I hissed at the clone Captain.

"You and I both know we won't be able to hold them back. Its best if a few of us use guerrilla tactics on the enemy," Rex countered.

"Then let me stay with the men while you take Denal and a few others," I argued stubbornly.

"The men look to me as someone who will stand and fight to the end. If they see me run then they will lose confidence and morale. The men see you as someone who will do whats necessary to win the battle even if it means to retreat," my long time friend pointed out.

I sighed and clenched my rifle tightly, Rex was right, it was the best plan we had. I wasn't comfortable knowing that my brother could quite possibly die and I was supposed to leave him behind.

"Fine. But don't you dare die," I growled in frustration. Rex just chuckled from his end of the channel.

"I wouldn't dream of it brother," Rex replied. We were interrupted when the gate began to open.

"They cut the lock!" A trooper towards the front shouted to everyone.

Every soldier pointed their blasters towards the door as it slowly opened allowing light to enter. My heart was racing and my skin was clammy from anxiety. My brothers and I have been in close calls but none as close as this last stand that we were in the middle of.

"Here they come!" Rex shouted as the door was open enough for the droids to start pouring in.

They droids opened fired as soon as they could, causing me to duck as three stray bolts impacted right where my head was a moment ago. I aimed with my Westar and fired a long burst, taking down two super battle droids. I continued focusing on the heavy variant of the battle droid since they were more of a threat. I drowned out the sound of my brothers shouting back and forth to one another and continued taking down B2s but there were two many droids. We started taking more and more casualties, soon there wouldn't be anyone. To make matters worse, dwarf spiders started to pour in as well. We were being overrun, there was no other way to say it.

"Prowl go now!" Rex shouted to me as he fired his twin blasters. I yelled in frustration while taking down one of the dwarf spiders before turning to Denal.

"Get what men that you can and fall back deeper into the monastery!" I shouted to Denal. The abruptness of my statement caused Denal to stop firing his carbine and stare at me.

"That was an order soldier!" I shouted louder at him, my anger beginning to be evident in my voice.

Denal shook his head and turned to three soldiers towards the rear.

"You three with me now!" He yelled to the men while running towards a hallway leading deeper into the building.

The three soldiers looked at each other before running after the sergeant. I turned back to the battlefield and emptied my entire charge pack into the oncoming waves of droids knocking down several clankers. Unfortunately it had no effect towards changing the outcome of the fight. For a moment I just stood and watch as my brothers desperately tried to hold the line, helpless to do anything to help them. A bolt landing near my feet brought me back to reality and I ran towards where Denal went while reloading my rifle. I wasn't surprised to feel a couple tears running down my cheek, leaving your family to a possible death tends to do that to people. I eventually found Denal pacing back and forth angrily while the other three soldiers tried to take in what had happened to make them run from the battle. When he saw me he marched up to me and pushed me hard.

"What the hell is wrong with you?! How could we leave Rex and everyone else behind!" He demanded while pushing me more and more. I was tired and angry and I let it out.

"Because Rex gave me the order to take you and as many men as possible and run! You think I wanted to leave my brothers behind to die! They are my family to Denal!" I shouted back at him angrily while pushing him off.

Denal seemed to actually hear what I was saying and stopped for a minute. He just stood there taking in all the information.

"Why would Rex tell us to run?" He asked quietly. I walked up to him and pulled him into a one armed hug.

"Because he wanted as many of his brothers to live while he gave his life for us," I said softly but loud enough for the troopers to hear it as well.  
We were all brought back on edge when the sounds of clanking metal and annoying droid voices could be heard close to us. I let go of Denal and turn towards the end of the hallway.

"I don't know about you guys but I want revenge for our brothers," I said while slamming a new charge pack into my rifle.

"We're with you," Denal said coldly while taking cover behind a strut holding the wall.

Everyone took cover as well and hid within the shadows despite our white armor.

"Don't fire until we know exactly how many there are," I said quietly over a comm channel I just made for our small group.

We waited in the dark, cold, lifeless hallway as the droids slowly began to walk past us. It was a small patrol of five B1s and three B2s.

"Those clone cowards should be around here somewhere," one skinny droid stated. Immediately I began to get angry, being called a coward wasn't helping with the fact we left Rex and everyone else.

"Lets just find them, capture them and move them with the rest," another droid commented.

This made me just stop completely. Droids rarely take prisoners, in fact the Separatists had no use for prisoners. It didn't make sense why they would take our brothers hostage but I wasn't going to question it when there was a chance to save Rex. I ran out of cover while firing my rifle at point blank. Even the B2s formidable armor couldn't withstand the devastating punishment, the first one fell back onto the second super battle droid and the third turned towards me with its cannon. The entire hallway lit up as the as the soldiers fired on the last B2. I didnt bother to see the result as I turned my rifle onto the startled battle droids and hosed them down in a volley of blue bolts like they had done to our brothers. Denal stepped forward and fire a long burst into the super battle droid that was pinned down. The rest of the soldiers all met in the middle with us.

"Was that droid telling the truth?!" One of the troopers asked incredulously.

"We have to find out ourselves while getting past the droids," another trooper replied.

It wouldn't be easy but it seemed like fighting past the droids we had run from was the only option we had.

"Hey! There is a hatch up there!" Denal called out to us.

We all turned in surprise to see Denal pointing to a ladder built into the wall leading up. I walked over and pat Denal on the back.

"Thats how we will do it, we'll climb up and hopefully get to the roof of the monastery," I said confidently.

I was beginning to feel optimistic about the situation, I had feared the worst but there still may be a chance that Rex was alive. I could tell everyone else felt the same since the depressing mood from earlier had all but vanished.

"Denal you're on point," I ordered while getting behind him.

Denal nodded and held his carbine with one hand while climbing up with his other. We followed him upward for a few minutes until he reached the end and opened a hatch. We all waited as he peaked his head out to survey the area, we were surprised when he ducked back down quickly and put a finger to his helmet. Seeing the universal signal to be silent, we all quietly got out and onto the roof of the monastery and we saw why Denal had warned us. The entire courtyard that our men had occupied earlier was full of droids. B1s, B2s, dwarf spiders and even vulture droids were patrolling the perimeter. I kept searching for any sign of our captured brothers until I saw Rex and what was left of Torrent Company being held at gunpoint near the wrecked Republic tank. We were all surprised as most of the vulture droids took off and into the sky. We looked up to see a Republic cruiser and incoming fighters.

"We need to move soon if we are going to save Rex and everyone else," I said quietly to everyone.

I looked down towards Rex when I heard his wrist communicator begin to beep.

"Did you hear that? It came from the prisoners," one of the droids said while moving closer to Rex.

"Let me show you how it works clanker," Rex said while holding his arm out.

The droid leaned in forward only to get backhanded hard enough its entire head was spinning rapidly.

"Now!" I shouted.

I quickly aimed and fired a few shots, taking down two droids and causing the rest of the droids to focus on our group. Denal and the men quickly opened fire bringing down more droids before they could return fire. Rex and his men quickly overwhelmed the occupied droids, taking their own rifles and destroying the last of their captors. Rex looked up at us and waved in thanks, I returned the gesture with a two fingered salute while my men cheered. Unfortunately it wasn't over for us since the entire courtyard was still filled with more droids and most of them were know aware of what was going on. The rest of the army began to move towards us while firing. Rex and his men took cover within the downed tank while Rex answered his communicator.

"Focus fire on any concentrated groups of droids! Leave the stragglers for Rex and his men," I ordered while spraying a few bursts towards a group of B2s.

My group immediately targeted the super battle droids, making them focus their attention on us rather than Rex's group. A stray red bolt suddenly impacted my armor where my collarbone was, knocking me onto the ground of the roof. The collision took the breath right out of me

"Man down!" One of the troopers called out.

I moves my hands towards the entry wound to find that the armor and pauldron had held and only went in slightly.

"I'm alright focus on the battle!" I ordered sternly while struggling to my feet.

I walked back over to the edge and kept firing at the droids but pretty soon we would run out of ammunition. I saw Rex take down a vulture droid and move his men to take cover between it and the tank.

"We need to get down their now!" Denal shouted to us.

"Lead the way sergeant," I stated while gesturing for him to go first.

Denal jumped off the roof and landed into a roll and sprinted towards the men while being shot at. We followed his lead and fired from the hip as we ran over to meet Rex and the rest of the company. Once we were all together I counted our numbers and realized that we were just nine men out of a company of thirty. I took cover against the walker and fired at a dwarf spider causing it to stop in its advance towards us as the blaster fire made it stumbled.

"I'm glad to see you alive Rex!" I shouted to my lifetime friend while destroying the dwarf spider.

"Likewise Prowl! We got to hold out until General Skywalker arrives," Rex shouted back to me while firing at a couple B2s.

"I saw a Republic cruiser heading our way. Reinforcements must've arrived,"  
I stated while tossing my last thermal det towards a group of battle droids. The explosion decimated the entire group but there was still too many for us to handle.

"You hear that boys? Reinforcements have arrived!" Rex roared to our brothers over the raging battlefield.

All the men cheered and roared back, we all fought with a new found feeling of optimism and hope. One trooper's gun suddenly stopped working and he tried to beat a super battle droid to death but the droid simply picked him up and shot him twice to the chest and tossed him aside like garbage. Seeing such a sight filled me with rage as I set my gun to automatic and fired a long burst into the chest of the droid, burning a clean hole through it. Unfortunately another trooper got hit in the arm and leg, causing him to the fall to the ground in pain. A trooper to my life took a hit to his lower abdomen and the soldier next to him had a clean hole through his helmet. We continued firing and destroying as many droids as possible we were just outnumbered and outgunned, eventually it was just Rex, Denal, and I standing on top of the downed vulture droid while everyone else was dead or wounded. All the droids stopped firing as they surrounded us, we stopped firing as well but we had our guns trained on them if we needed to use it.

"Surrender Republic dogs," one of the droids ordered.

'I guess this is it then, never thought I'd go out like this' I thought to myself in defeat.

"We've got you outnumbered!" Rex countered. Now this made me stop and try to process what Rex just said. It was just three against at least fifty.

"Outnumbered? Wait, one, two-" the droid began to count but was then blasted apart by a laser cannon.

We all looked up to see General Kenobi's star fighter fly past us as the General jumped out and began tearing apart the droids with his lightsaber. I didn't stop to think about our luck and began blasting whatever droids that were left. Rex and Denal soon followed my decision and we all started providing General Kenobi support as he blasted apart whatever droids he wasn't facing. Eventually as I was beating a battle droid with my rifle stock I heard the sound of Republic gunships coming in. They slowed down as they came by us and more clone trooper rappelled down from the LAAT, as soon as they had hit the ground they immediately took up positions and began firing at the enemy droids. I ran over to Denal while he was taking cover by the tank and firing on a few battle droids. I crouched next to him and helped him destroy the droids.

"Denal! Gather a squad and guard our wounded!" I ordered over the blaster fire and explosions.

"On it!" He shouted as he ran off to gather the men.

The battle continued for another few more minutes with more and more droids getting wasted and blasted. I supported Commander Cody and a squad he was leading while at the same time taking down any dwarf spiders and other heavily armored droids. I saw General Kenobi speaking with Rex before moving off into the Monastery, most likely looking for General Skywalker and Ahsoka. I asked one of Cody's men for an extra blaster, one of them gave me a DC-15a. I thanked them and took, then ran towards Rex's position. I slid into cover with him and offered him the rifle.

"Figured you would want some Republic hardware over Separatist garbage," I said. Rex tossed the droid rifle and eagerly grabbed the DC.

"Thanks Prowl," Rex replied while firing at a super battle droid.

Rex and I stayed in cover, firing at whatever droid was in our sight. When i took cover to reload I saw Denal organizing an improvised field hospital a few from Rex and I, using the downed tank as cover. The squad he had with him were providing cover fire for the few medics working on the wounded. A few minutes later as Rex and I were firing at the enemy General Kenobi appeared next to us.

"Captain, I understand General Skywalker escaped," Kenobi stated.

"Yes sir, on some beat up old spice raidsr," Rex replied while moving his head to avoid getting blasted. I turned and fired at the offending droid in retaliation.

"I'll be surprised if he makes it to Tatooine in that junker," Rex stated.

"If anyone can fly a bucket of bolts through hyperspace, he can" General Kenobi assured.

"Knowing the General, he will probably crash onto Tatooine," I joked while firing at a super battle droid.

Neither replied but I saw Kenobi smirk slightly. With Kenobi here the battle was now going extremely in our favor as we continued cutting down the droid ranks but the amount of droids there were would take time. Rex took out a thermal det and dove under a dwarf spider and planted the bomb onto the droid. He then ran away and rolled as the explosion knocked out the dwarf spider as well as a vulture droid that was near it. Unfortunately for Rex there was another Vulture droid looming over the Captain. I rolled out of cover and got on one knee while aiming my rifle and fired a single shot. The bright neon blue round went through the skull of the vulture droid, causing it to topple backwards and crush a few droids behind it. Rex looked at me and nodded his head in thanks. The battle was almost over as we surrounded the last pocket of droids. Most of our forces pinned them down as three troopers lobbed grenades into the mist of them, the explosion sending broken droid parts all over the battle field. All the troopers let out cheers of joy as our part of the battle was over. Rex walked over to me and slung his arm around my shoulder while leaning on me.

"Its over," Rex sighed.

"Its about time," I sighed in content while agreeing with my brother.

* * *

**-time: 0930. Location: G.A.R hospital, Coruscant-**

After the battle of Teth, Kenobi ordered the gunships to pick up all the soldiers and return to the cruiser. All the wounded were taking to the medical section of the ship while Rex, Denal, and I found a room to stay in during our time aboard the ship. For the most part we stayed within our room, we only went out to eat and to visit our wounded brothers. All the survivors of Torrent Company including Rex, Denal, and I were from the same platoon from our days on Kamino. To see the very last people that had been with me since birth almost completely gone, I took the time out to learn their names and talk to them more than I did back on Kamino. Once we had picked up General Skywalker and Ahsoka, our cruiser headed back to Coruscant. Once we had landed Rex, Denal, and I went with our brothers as they were transported to one of main hospitals for injured troopers. As our brothers were escorted into the hospital, Denal put his hands on both Rex and my shoulder.

"You know what we should do after we check on our brothers? We should go to a cantina," Denal suggested.

"The last time we went into one on leave you got shit faced," I said while rolling my eyes.

"I did not," Denal argued while crossing his arms.

"You got into an argument with the Bith band because you wanted them to switch the song they were playing," I stated.

"Yeah so?" Denal asked nonchalantly.

"The Bith band was on break at the time," Rex deadpanned. This got Denal to shut up for a moment.

"Well I still th-" Denal began to counter but was cut off as the entire front of the G.A.R hospital exploded, debris and broken material flew outward as the shockwave knocked the three of us to the ground.

Nearby citizens and other off duty clones gasped and took cover from the confusion. As I got to my feet I cursed that I had to wear a Navy uniform instead of my standard ARC armor. I helped Denal up as Rex got to his feet.

"Are we under attack?!" I shouted while looking up to the sky for any incoming Separatist ships.

"Can't be, otherwise there would be air raid siren going off," Rex pointed out while looking around frantically.

"O-our brothers were in there.." Denal stated quietly, completely in shock from the attack.

His statement immediately caused me to stop moving and process what he said. He was right, our last immediate brothers had just been admitted into the building before the bomb went off. I began to lean on Denal instead of the other way around, the shock was just too much. The last of our immediate brothers had just been killed in a fucking hospital. The worst part was that it didn't even appear to be the result of a CIS attack. Anger started to fill my entire body and mind, I began to think of anyway that I could get back at the monster who killed my family. Suddenly I remembered my training and that a good way to pick up information would to head to a underworld cantina. I suddenly let go of Denal and ran towards the nearest air taxi port.

"Prowl! Where are you going?!" Rex shouted.

"To find answers! Don't wait up for me!l yelled back as I continued running.

* * *

**-time: 1301. Location: lower levels of Coruscant-**

I spent close to four hours looking for answers. It felt like I had visited over a hundred cantinas, just sitting and waiting to hear of anyone knew who caused the explosion or if anyone was dumb enough to take credit for the attack. I made sure my brown cloak covered my entire uniform and that my DC pistol was still strapped to my belt. I pulled my hood over my face and entered the latest cantina. The atmosphere was even worse than the last cantina. The air was thick with smoke and spice fumes, the floor was practically covered in spilled drinks and a fight was going on in the corner of cantina. I took a seat in one of the booths that was close to the middle of the cantina and eavesdropped on the conversations I could hear.

"We need to get that spice shipment to Tatooine before mez decides that we aren't worth keeping around,"

"Bartender! Get us another round!"

"If you keep staring at me asshole I'll show you what a vibrobalde can do to Rodian flesh,"

"I wonder what the boss has planned next. That hospital was a pretty big hit,"

I stopped listening and just focused on that one gruff voice that mentioned the hospital. From the how close the person sounded I could guess that the person was in one of the booths next to me.

"Keep it down with that, we don't need the CSF knowing it was us that we did it. Anyway we need to go contact the boss at the base," another voice interrupted, this one sounding more cunning than the last.

The sound of three people getting up behind me let me know that the criminals were on the move. As they walked past me I could tell that they were three males, each one bald and wearing the same black jacket and pants along with minor light armor. When they had their backs to me I continued watching them, once they had left the cantina I got up and quickly followed them. As we were walking through the busy crowd of Coruscant I made sure to keep a reasonable amount of distance between us. The group suddenly turned into an alleyway, causing me to lose sight of them. I quickly pushed my way through the crowd and leaned against the wall that was next to the alleyway. I peaked my head out slightly to see that the three criminals weren't in the dark and dank alley. I didn't give it a second thought and rushed down the alley to catch up only to feel a sharp pain to the back of my head that caused me to collapse to the ground. I couldn't even process what was happening as my vision immediately blackened as I slipped into unconsciousness.

* * *

**Denal: What the fuck!**

**Deathz: wha**

**Denal: you can't just end the chapter on a damn cliffhanger!**

**Deathz: Prowl doesn't seem to mind**

**Prowl:...**

**Rex: That's because he is unconscious**

**Deathz: I rest my case then. Please leave any comments or reviews to help improve the story. PAR KOTE BAL IJAAT BE MAND'ALOR**


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's note: Hey guys sorry I've been busy like I said I have work and college now but the good thing is that this semester will end next month so that means more time to write :) anyways I don't own star wars or any of its characters**

* * *

**-Time: unknown. Location: unknown-**  
A hard punch to the face broke me out of my pain induced daze. I had lost track of how long I had been beaten for information by the terrorist but it must've been a while if they were starting to get impatient. At the moment I was in a steel chair with binders holding my hands behind the chair as one of the guys was continuously punching me in the face, it had gotten so bad I couldn't see out of my right eye. At first they had just threatened me at blaster point, tried using a truth serum and bribery. The truth serum had almost worked but part of ARC training was to resist such things. Eventually they just resorted to beatings. The other two were talking amongst themselves while having their blasters drawn. One of them had a Westar 35 blaster pistol while the other had a DC-16c. The DC was an actual failed prototype weapon, due to its high recoil and low accuracy, meant for Republic Commandos that had gotten leaked to the black market. Now almost every average criminal had the blaster which had gave it the nickname 'Fodder's Rifle'. People loved it due to its high power output and its high rate of fire.

"Now, are you going to tell us why you were following us, clone?" The man that was beating me had stopped and just stared at me. I spat out a large wad of blood and looked at him despite one of my eyes being swollen.

"Go fuck your self," I said calmly while giving him a bloody smile. That earned me another fist to the face.

"Tell us," the man demanded.

"Go fuck your self and a Jawa," I persisted defiantly. Another punch to my already beaten face. This time the man grabbed me by my throat and brought me to his face as he sneered.

"Do you want to die!" He threatened while getting some spit on my face.

"Go fuck your self and two Jawas," I said seriously while spitting a blob of blood in his face.

The man stood back and wiped his face with his hand and then cocks his first back as his face to pure rage. Before he could strike he was interrupted by the man holding the DC.

"Knock it off. He won't break anytime soon, we need to report to the boss," the apparent leader of the three said.

The man who had been beating me looked at me for a moment before walking away with the other two. While they were gone I sat there with my eyes closed, trying to ignore the agonizing pain all over my face. I knew I had to use what time I had while I was alone and I opened my left eye while ignoring the pain so I could look around. The building itself was dark and dank, the entire building seeming to be a large room with a high ceiling. The ceiling had a few windows to let some light in but not enough to brighten whatever building this was and any lights that had been installed were turned off, the area I was in was light by one of the windows.

'This must be some type of warehouse' I considered. I tried to brake out of my binders but they were on tight.

I leaned back in my chair and sighed, I had to bring these guys to justice for what they did. I heard them walking back to me so I sat in my chair and acted calm. The man with the rifle gestured towards me causing the guy who kept beating me to get me off the chair but my hands still bound.

"Well sorry clone but your time is up," the man said sadistically. This was it, I had to escape now or else they would get away with murder.

As soon as the guy was walking me towards the other two I kicked the man in the shin, causing him to fall to the ground. I then turned and kneed him the face and ran deeper into the warehouse. The other two immediately began firing at me with their blasters but I just hid behind a durasteel crate and then ran further in the warehouse.

"Find him!" One the men shouted.

I quickly jumped while pulling my bound hands around my feet so that my hands were in front instead of behind my back. I then climbed on top of two durasteel crates and tried to think of a plan. I still had my hands bound and the two terrorists were armed, one of them had a blaster carbine capable of taking down speeders. I looked down and saw the man holding the DC-16 walking right below me. It was hard to tell exactly where he was with only one good eye but this was only good chance I had. I jumped off, trying to aim for the terrorist's body but instead landed directly behind him. The sound from my landing caused the man to turn around with the DC raised at me. I immediately grabbed the weapon and forced it upwards as the man fired a quick burst, echoing throughout the warehouse. I quickly kicked the man's knee inward, causing him to let out a scream of pain and agony. I quickly silenced him by grabbing the rifle and slamming it against his head, knocking him out. I dropped the rifle and began going through the man's belongings until I found the key to my binders. I unlocked the binders and then took the fodder rifle in my hand just when the last terrorist turned the corner and fired his blaster. I pushed myself to the side of another crate but unfortunately took a blaster wound to my left shoulder. I grunted in pain, the naval uniform I still had on did little to prevent damage but I managed to bring rifle to bare and fire a couple three round burst. The return fire caused the man to duck back into he endless maze of the abandon warehouse. I held my rifle in the general direction of the enemy while slowly walking to the downed terrorist, reaching for the mans communicator. I quickly crouched behind the closet piece of cover while having one hand on the rifle and the other on the communicator, I keyed in a set of codes for an emergency beacon to be used for any stranded troopers caught out in the battlefield. Normally it would take a couple days for the closest Republic forces to pick up the signal but being on Coruscant I was sure that troopers would arrive quickly.

"Republic Soldiers will be here any minute! I suggest you throw down your arms and surrender!" I shouted as loud as possible hoping to get the last terrorist to surrender.

I didn't hear a reply but I could of sworn I heard a door opening. I couldn't tell nor could I go check, in my current state the best I could do was to sit tight and wait for Republic forces. I leaned back against a crate and checked my blaster wound. This had to be one of the few times I took a hit to an unarmored section of my body and this had to be the most painful. The wound had completely burned through the material of the uniform and charred the skin beneath it. Some parts of the uniform had been fused with the skin while other parts of the shoulder was raw and beginning to bleed. I sighed and tightened the grip I had on the my stolen rifle, hoping the terrorist hadn't gone for reinforcements. Suddenly the sound of glass being broken was heard and the zipping sound from people rappelling down echoed throughout the warehouse. I looked up and saw clone troopers in the armor colors of the Coruscant Guard.

"This is the Coruscant Guard! If there are any Republic soldiers in here please call out your identification number!" Someone shouted over a speaker.

"ARC-7562! Over here!" I called out jubilantly.

Not even a few seconds later, the sound of armored boots running towards me could be heard. I set aside the rifle and leaned against the wall and closed my eyes. I tuned out the troopers as they called in a medic as well as a holding cell for the unconscious terrorist. I just wanted to rest and let someone else do the work.

* * *

**-Time: unknown. Location: unknown-**

I woke to the sound of a steady beeping noise, almost like a heart monitor. I groaned in slight discomfort as I opened my eyes to blinding light. I then realized that I was able to open my eyes in the first place. I place my hand over where my eye was swollen to feel the skin was normal. I began to sit up as my eyes began to adjust to the light, eventually I could tell that I was in a hospital room judging by the white sheets I was under along with the normal hospital gadgets to the right side of the bed. As I turned to the left my heart skipped a beat as I saw the leader of the Republic sitting next to a table reading a data pad. Two Coruscant guards were standing next to him. The sound of my movements caused the Chancellor to put his data pad down and give me a warm smile.

"You've been on quite an adventure, haven't you soldier?" The Chancellor asked humorlessly.

"Sir!" I said while trying to make a quick salute but I groaned as my sore body protested such movements.

"Relax Lieutenant, no need to wear yourself out. What you did was reckless but very brave, you have my thanks as well as all the rest of the Republic," the chancellor stated while bowing slightly. I was honestly astonished, I never thought that I would ever be thanked by the leader of the Republic.

"It was nothing your Excellency. Unfortunately two of the terrorists managed to get away sir," I stated sadly. The Chancellor shook his head and chuckled.

"However you managed to find them in the first place, capture one of them and scare off the rest. Not only that but we managed to decrypt some of the information stored on the terrorist's data pad before it self destructed," the Chancellor explained while putting his hand on my shoulder.

"What information did we learn sir?" I asked while looking up at the Chancellor.

"We have the name of their organization, the adenn. The word is Mandalorian suggesting that they are based in that system. Also there are details for the time of a meeting but not where, a meeting one month from today," The Chancellor explained while moving his hand off my shoulder.

"Will you be sending Republic troops to eliminate the group sir?" I asked curiously as he went back to his data pad.

"In a sense, I was thinking that you would be perfect for the job," The Chancellor chuckled while lifting his data pad revealing a credit chip and a small holo ticket. The Chancellor grabbed them and handed the items to me.

"That credit chip contains 500,000 credits and the holo ticket is a one way trip to Mandalore. In the closet to your left holds the disguise you will be using during the mission. The shuttle leaves tonight and you'll arrive tomorrow morning. If you wish to decline then that is alright, you have certainly done enough," the Chancellor spoke kindly with a smile. This was a lot to take, this would honestly be the first solo mission I had ever take and on Mandalore as well, the place I had hoped I'd be able to visit after the war.

"With respect your Excellency, why me? Why not one of the Commando clones or other more experienced ARCs?" I asked him while looking down at the chip and ticket.

"Because this mission became personal for you the moment those villains bombed the hospital. I know that some of your close friends were in there. I also know from Master Skywalker that you have a fascination for the Mandalorian culture, think of it also as a way to see the galaxy as well as bringing justice for our fallen heroes," the Supreme Chancellor explained with a slight frown on his face.

I looked down at the bed while gripping the sheets tightly. No matter what I did I would never be able to bring back the brother we lost in the hospital, but I would be able to avenge them as well as get to know Mandalore.

"I'll do it sir," I said full of conviction while looking at the Chancellor seriously.

"Good to hear, I must be on my way to return to politics. You some visitors that are anxious to hear from you," Chancellor Palpatine said with a smile while heading for the door.

"Visitors sir?" I asked, confused as to what he meant.

The Chancellor just smiled and walked out the door with his guards. As soon as he moved aside, Rex, Denal, Ahsoka, and General Skywalker who all came rushing in and asking thousands of questions. Rex and Denal were wearing their full armor and had their weapons, they looked like they were ready for war. I can see what the Chancellor meant by 'anxious'.  
It had taken some time to calm down everyone and assure them that I was fine. Once they settled down I explained what had transpired, it turns out that I had been missing for six hours and everyone was getting worried. Once I finished explaining what had happen Denal calmly walked up to meet and smacked me in the head, saying that was the last time I run off and get kidnapped. Shortly after that I explained the mission I would be taking to everyone, needless to say that no one was happy that I was running off again but they understood that this needed to be done. Chancellor Palpatine came back in and quickly explained that the mission was top secret and that no one else can know about it and that I was to report in person after I infiltrated the meeting. Once he left, Ahsoka and Skywalker left as well to give Denal, Rex, and I some time alone. We sat in silence, to mourn for our fallen brothers. It was still hard to swallow that we were all that was left of our pod, we only really had each other now. When it was time I got up and walked over to the closet to put on the disguise. Opening the closet I saw a pair of dark pants, military boots, a dark red long sleeve shirt and a black jacket with no sleeves. There was also a helmet, an old Mandaloria. It was completely black and had a small range finder attached to the side as well as having a long narrow visor and a filters for external oxygen tanks that would connect by hoses. I switched out of the hospital gown I was in while putting on the disguise. Once I was finished I turned towards Rex and Denal to get there opinion. They both looked impressed.

"You look like an actual civvie Prowl," Denal commented.

"Do you have any weapons?" Rex asked. I shook my head.

"The Chancellor wants me to lay low and build up a reputation in order to gain information. I'll figure out a way when I get to Mandalore," I answered. I looked at the time and saw that I needed to head over the landing platform now.

"Its time to go brothers," I said sadly. Denal walked up to me and pulled me into a hug while Rex came over and placed his hand on my shoulder.

"You better come back brother," Denal said quietly.

"Agreed, you can't leave me here alone with Denal's stupidity," Rex chuckled. This caused Denal to let go of me and punch Rex in the shoulder.

"I promise to bring you both souvenirs from the trip," I said to the both of them.  
Assuming I came back at all.

* * *

**-Time: 1028. Location: landing platform, Coruscant-**

I got in a air taxi shortly after talking to Rex and Denal. It took half an hour to get to the landing platform but when I did I can see that the Chancellor made a wise choice in the vessel I was taking. It was an old and battered grey GR-45 shuttle with a long line of refugees from the war waiting to get on the shuttle. With what I was wearing and my lack of weapons, I could blend in with the refugees. Once I reached the front I handed my ticket to the Rodian crew member and went inside the ship. The inside of the ship was just as battered as the outside, random hisses and groans would sound from inside the hallway. Once I reached the cargo bay that was converted to allow the refugees to sleep and eat, I saw a different side to the war that made me question what we were really fighting for. Civilians in what appeared to be dirty rags where milling about by the bunks we would have to use or sat on the floor while waiting for a crew member to pass around food. A human mother was holding her infant in a filthy blanket while giving the baby a half empty bottle. The mother's eyes were glazed and distant, almost as if she had lost faith and hope. I didn't understand, how could we be winning the war if citizens were in such a state. The sight of it all made me feel sick to my stomach, I felt like what I was doing what I was fighting for was all a lie. I sat against the wall and held my head in my hands, trying to get myself out of what I was feeling. I had been told so many times that we were fighting for what was right, but how could that be the truth if people were living in such conditions, was winning the war worth the aftermath? Another Rodian passed by with a tray of food and offered it to me but I shook my head. I wasn't in the mood for it.

'C'mon Prowl. We're heading to Mandalore, where Mandalorians live and thrive' I thought to cheer myself up.

For a few hours I read more about the planet itself and certain locations and cities as well as learning more about the language. I figured the best place to go to gather intel and gain some decent gear would be Keldabe, Mandalore's capital. Once we had exited hyperspace an intercom went off letting us know that we were heading towards the capital. I slid my data pad into my jacket and waited for us to land. In the mean time I got used to additional features built into the HUD of the Mandalorian helmet such as the thermal and night vision, when I switched it to thermal my entire vision was blinded by orange coming from the ship and its passengers. While I waited for my eyes to adjust back to normal I decided it'd be best to test night vision when I needed it. The ship shook as the landing gear touched onto the ground, it was time to see Mandalore. The crew told everyone to gather there belongings and exit the ship. I was one of the last people to exit the ship, following the line of passengers until we got off the ship and saw how things where in the capital. It wasn't what I had expected. I had expected to see a busy city surrounded by forests and the river Kelita, a city made out of a wide array of buildings from simple materials to durasteel. Instead all I saw was a huge dome with a few cube like structures on the outside such as the one we were on. The structure was some type of port with ships docking and unloading cargo or picking up passengers and leaving the planet. An armed guard wearing a type of ceremonial armor and holding an electro staff was ushering the refugees inside the dome. The armor was nothing like what I had expected for a Mandalorian, it didn't even have the traditional T visor, the helmet had a slit for a persons eyes. The helmet also had some flat ceremonial head piece sitting on top of the helmet with four protrusions sticking out from the back of the helmet. As I looked around I noticed that none of the citizens living in this city wore Mandalorian armor or even carried weapons. I walked up to the guard that was helping the refugees.

"Excuse me sir, is this the capital?" I asked the guard. He continued gesturing for the refugees to move while glancing at me.

"Yes. This is the capital of Mandalore, Sundari," the man explained. I was completely confused by what he had just stated.

"What happened to the old capital, to Keldabe?" I asked him.

"The capital was switched from Keldabe to Sundari under the order of the New Mandalorian government," the guard stated just as all the refugees were escorted onto a shuttle, taking them inside the dome. I was beginning to feel betrayed and angry, this place was the closest thing I had to an ancestral home but it seemed like things had changed drastically.

"What happened to the old Mandalorian ways? What happened to being warriors and wearing Mandalorian armor?!" I half shouted in anger. The guard looked at me as if I was crazy.

"We follow the New Mandalorian ways. All of our warriors who refused to listen to Duchess Satine were banished to Concordia. Those who tolerate her rule but continued following the old ways were forced to relocate to Keldabe," the guard explained calmly.

I couldn't believe this. I had never met this man before but in that moment as he explained how things are now, he had to be one of the people I hated the most in the entire galaxy. He represented a government that practically seemed ashamed of its own culture. I clenched my fists in anger and was about to say several things about what I thought about this new government but I was interrupted.

"Finally an aruetii who is speaking sense," a voice called out jokingly.

The guard and I looked to the new comer and for the first time I had come here I was relieved. The newcomer was a person wearing traditional Mandalorian armor. The armor chest, legs, and helmet were colored a dark shade of red while the arms and helmet was colored golden yellow. Judging how the armor was shaped to fit the warrior, it was easy to tell that the person was a female. The woman had a dark red kama with yellow paint splatter wrapped around herself with a pair of blasters holstered at her waist. There was also a black jetpack attached to her back, the same model I used for my ARC armor. The sight of the woman set the guard on edge as his grip tightened around his staff.

"What are you doing here bounty hunter? No one is allowed to wear Mandalorian armor or carry blasters inside Sundari," the guard hissed.

"Well the thing is, faithless, is that we aren't inside Sundari. I'm just here to load up on supplies after that I'll head back to the true capital of Mandalore," the warrior said confidently while walking over to us.

"I think this outsider is dissatisfied with the ways of the faithless. I think he wants to be with the Aka'liit," the Mandalorian women commented while putting her hand on my shoulder.

"Aka'liit? Thats not a word I'm familiar with," I said out loud while looking at the Mando.

"It means 'Mandalorian faithful'. Something the faithless living in the comfortable, pacifist puppet government of Sundari wouldn't know," she stated matter-o-factly. This statement made the guard growl in anger.

"Such talk borders on treason, murderer," the man said with disdain. Before the Aka'liit woman could respond I cut them both off.

"Is it possible for you to give me a lift over to Keldabe? I came here to become a true Mandalorian, not to be a pacifist," I stated, saying the word pacifist as if it was a disease.

The guard just shook his head and walked away, muttering something about 'barbarians'. The Mando shook her head and muttered some words in Mandalorian, too low for me to understand. She then turned to me and punched me in the shoulder playfully.

"Come aruetti. I'm tired of standing in this disgraceful place," she said as she began walking towards a long line of landing platforms.

"You never told me your name," I commented as I jogged over to catch up.

"My name is Parjir Cadera," she answered as she continued walking.

"You know its rude to ask for someone's name and not give you're own," Parjir joked. I mentally swore, I hadn't thought of a name for myself. I decided to use my own nickname since it was highly unlikely anyone would think twice about it.

"Prowl," I replied calmly. Parjir glanced over her shoulder.

"No last name?" She asked curiously.

"Never had one, I've never really had a family. I just got lucky and I'm trying to start a new life here," I lied. Well in reality it was a half lie, I never had an actual last name. But it didn't seem to bother Parjir as she just kept walking.

"Well don't worry about it. Most people who become Mandalorians are actually escaping from their past so no one will question it. The fact you're wearing a Mando helmet, albeit a relic, will show people that you're a Mandalorian. There is more to it but so far for an auretii you're doing a good job," the armored woman explained. She then gestured to one of the many landing platforms that was on the port for Sundari.

"Thats my ship," she stated. I turned and saw the ship that belonged to her.

It was an old corellian freighter model, a YG-4210, but you wouldn't be be able to tell from just looking at the ship. The armor for the ship itself looked relatively new except for a few scorch marks, the hull was painted completely black except for red slashes all across the ship. There was a large quad laser turret on top of the freighter and a small ion cannon towards the nose of the ship. The cockpit of the ship was imbedded into the hull and was above the ion cannon. A round communication dish sat towards the rear of the ship, right in front of the three main engines. At the moment, the cargo door was lowered as boxes were piled onto the ship by dock workers.

"Thats some ship you got there," I complimented Parjir.

"Thanks, my uncle gave it to me. Lucky for you I was already heading to his shop in Keldabe to deliver supplies. He can get you what you need to be a Mandalorian if you have enough creds," she replied while heading through the cargo ramp.

I followed her into the ship just as the supplies were finished being loaded and the bay door closing as I followed my Mandalorian guide. The inside of the ship was very clean and had a professional look to it as we exited the cargo bay and walked down the corridors of the ship. It took a few minutes but we finally made it to cockpit. Despite being imbedded into the hull of the freighter the windows provided a spacious feel to cockpit. There was two seats sitting behind two consoles with numerous buttons and nobs. The seat on the right had steering wheel with two buttons on either end of the control. There was more consoles and buttons on either ends of the walls next to the seats.

"You'll be sitting in the co-pilot seat. Controls to the left of you are the quad laser cannons on the ventral and dorsal side of the ship. I doubt that we will come under fire on the way to Keldabe but doesn't hurt to be prepared," Parjir explained while settling into pilot seat. I sat in the co-pilot seat and checked the console for the cannons. The panels stated that the cannons were functioning properly.

"The cannons are good. I'm surprised you trust me enough to handle the guns," I pointed out. Parjir just shrugged.

"I can tell enough that you are telling the truth that you want to be a Mandalorian. It would be counter productive for you, an aruetii, to try anything that would put you on my bad side especially since you don't know your way around Mandalore," She explained while flipping some switches on her console.

I just nodded at her sound logic the ship lifted off the platform and turned towards the open landscape. The land around Sundari seemed very lifeless due to it being a desert. We continued to fly in silence, Parjir steering the ship while I continued to look at the landscape, soon enough the desert was beginning to change to sparse vegetation to a grass land.

"How come there are no grass lands or any life near Sundari?" I asked my guide.

"The area around it was hit pretty hard during the Mandalorian excision. To this day no vegetation has been able to grow there. Not our problem though, let the pacifist have the desert, only the Aka'liit truly appreciate Mandalore and her culture," she replied passionately.

Her full commitment to her culture was inspiring as well as contagious, I wanted to be a Mandalorian and one who proudly displayed my roots. Soon enough we saw a river wrapping around a large city sitting on top of a granite hell with a huge forest to the north of the city. The city itself was just as large as Sundari, buildings made out of any and all types of building materials made up the city and they ranged from small buildings and shops to huge skyscrapers and towers. The best part was that almost all the citizens in the city were wearing the fabled Mandalorian armor in a large array pf colors. Parjir maneuvered the ship to the outskirt of the city towards the forest until we hovered over a small building. The building was two stories tall and was made out of a dull red stone for the most part while some areas had gray durasteel windows and columns for support. There was a sign in front of the building in galactic that said "Cadera's supplies". The Mandalorian women landed on a landing pad right behind the store.

"I assume this is your uncle's shop?" I asked as Parjir powered down all of the ships systems. Parjir chuckled as she stood up and motioned me to follow. I stood up and followed her as she replied.

"Yup, although technically he isn't my actually uncle. He found me as an orphan wandering Coruscant, took me in and took care of me. One thing you need to know about being a Mandalorian is that family takes priorities over everything. Anything," Parjir explained, putting emphasis on the word anything.

"If I read Mandalorian culture correctly, wouldn't him adopting you make him your father, your buir?" I asked, trying to get a grasp on the warrior culture. Parjir stopped completely as we walked down the corridors of her ship. She glanced over her shoulder at me.

"Its a sore subject for my uncle so please don't bring it up" she said quietly. I titled my head to the side in confusion but nodded.  
She turned around and kept walking with me following right behind her. Eventually we made it to the the cargo bay, all the boxes Parjir had picked up from Sundari piled around. Parjir pressed two buttons on the side. The bay door began to open as four small droids that were embedded into the wall popped out. They had a small body frame as well as small limbs with a lid type head and a single lens in the center, on top of the head was an antennae. The droids had the same color scheme as the ship, black with crimson slashes. Having fought droids for as long as I could remember, seeing droids appear out of nowhere made me jump and almost reach for my pistol, only when my hand got to my hip to realize I didn't have my blasters. I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked to see Parjir, her body language showing she was concerned.

"Whoa whoa relax they're just pit droids," she said as she continued to look at me. I took a deep breathe and exhaled while shaking my head.

"Sorry. I haven't had the best luck with droids," I explained while relaxing.

"Must have been some real bad luck if you're that jumpy," she commented.

"Anyways while they are unloading everything we can go see my uncle," Parjir said while down the cargo ramp. I followed her as she walked towards the front of the shop. She tried opening the door but the steel door wouldn't open, Parjir looked at the security camera.

"Ba'vodu! Its me open up!" Parjir called out. Immediately the door opened up.

"This way aruetii," she gestured inside.

I went inside the shop and was immediately blown away but what I saw. On one wall there was dozens upon dozens of blasters, some I honestly couldn't even recognize. To the other wall was racks of apparel and personal armor but none of it was actual Mandalorian armor. Lights lit the shop as we walked towards the back. There was a counter that had a few blaster pistols on a display case as well as a small credit chip scanner on top of the counter. A door behind the counter opened up a armored Mandalorian walked out, from the way the armor was made the person was a guy. The man's armor was colored dark blue with random white slashes across his helmet and chest plate. Around his waist was a white kama with two occupied pistol holsters and a knife sheath strapped to his chest. He walked out from behind the counter and pulled Parjir into a hug despite both their armor making a clanking sound when they embraced each other.

"Ad'ika! Its good to see you again," the man said affectionately as he let go of Parjir.

"Ba'vadou you saw me half an hour ago," Parjir said while playfully pushing the man. She then gestured towards me.

"This is Prowl, Ba'vadou. He wants to become a Mandalorian," Parjir explained.

The man's posture immediately changed from friendly to cautious and intimidating in less than a second.

"So you want to be a Mandalorian huh aruetii?" The man asked suspiciously. I nodded in response.  
The Mandalorian moved to the side and pointed to a plaque on the wall. The plaque read "Resol'nare", underneath that were six statements.

"Resol'nare, there was a time where every Mandalorian knew it by heart. Now most have forgotten it but following the six actions of Mandalore is what makes a person a Mandalorian," the warrior explained before looking back at me.

"I have met many people who have come to be a Mandalorian only for fame or power. Those people aren't true Mandalorians. Why do you want to be a Mandalorian?" The man asked accusingly.

I opened my mouth to speak but then closed it and paused. This may have been a mission but at the same time it also was more to me. This was the closest I was going to get to actually have some kind of background, an identity outside of just being a clone of a man, a place where I could belong.

"To be honest, I never really had much of a traditional family or a home. I barely know much about my family's history, all I know is that part of my family is Mandalorian. I just want to connect to that side of the family, to at least feel as if I belong somewhere," I explained, being more honest than I had intended. I didn't even know that I had truly felt that way, I knew that I had wanted to belong but I didn't know it mattered to me so much. The two Mandalorians seemed just as surprised as I was from my heartfelt speech, the man's guard dropped slightly. He put his hand the bottom of his helmet, where his chin would be, before he held his hand out for me. I looked at it before shaking his hand.

"You seem genuine enough. The name is Drax Cadera. Tell me Prowl have you heard of any well known Mandalorians?" Drax asked.

"I've read up on Jaster Mereel and his super commando codex," I answered.  
I started to become slightly worried when I noticed both Drax and Parjir's entire posture change to caution with Drax's hand going to one of his blasters. Parjir's body language just showed that she was tense.

"Tell me, what is your opinion on the man" the mandalorian warrior asked quietly.

'Hm..this doesn't look good' I thought to myself.

Despite how nice Parjir had been to me, she and her uncle were still strangers and they might be hostile.

"I think he is a wise man. One of the best people that should've lead Mandalore," I answered while looking for any piece of cover or easy to reach weapon if I needed them.

I was surprised when both of the Mandalorians instantly relaxed. I was surprised further when Drax came forward and grabbed my arm while leading me to the exit of the store.

"Ad'ika watch the shop and pull out a suit, I'm taking the aruetii to the square," Drax stated as he continued dragging me out.

"Got it Ba'vodu," Parjir replied.

I was confused as to what was going on, what suit and what square was I going to? As soon as we were out of the store I got out of the man's grip and turned on him.

"Where are you taking me?" I half demanded as I stared at the warrior.

"You said you wanted to be a Mandalorian right?" He asked in a amused tone.

"Yeah," I replied in confusion.

"Well then follow me" Drax said as if it was so simple.

He turned and walked towards the other buildings of Keldabe. I followed him but I was still cautious, Drax did have his hand on his blaster back in the shop. I continued following him as he walked in and out of small alleyways into bustling plazas where fully armored Mandalorians were trading, drinking, eating and chatting amongst each other. It gave the atmosphere a sense of friendliness and camaraderie although it changed whenever they saw me walking by. The atmosphere then changed to cautious and almost hostile, I wasn't hearing things when the word 'aruetii' was being tossed around in their conversations. We continued walking past the crowds and buildings until we were walking down a small alleyway when three armored and fully armed Mandalorians walked right in front of us. The two on either side were carrying blaster rifles while the one in the middle was carrying a large sword. Drax immediately stopped and held a hand out for me to stop moving. The man in the middle looked at us before addressing Drax.

"Are you sure brother?" The warrior asked.

"He respects and honors Jaster Meerel," Drax replied.

The lead warrior gave a nod and moved aside for us to continue walking. As we walked I took in our surroundings and saw that we were in a large plaza that had no buildings, just benches and trees. Buildings and skyscrapers surrounded the entire plaza almost like a ring. Towards the center of the plaza was a large ship, it had a large chassis with even larger turbine engines and small wings. It looked more designed for in atmosphere combat rather than space combat. Drax kept walking us toward the ship, he wasn't the only one though. There seemed to be at least fifty mandalorians going up to the ship, either pressing their hand against the ship or kneeling down on one knee before leaving. It seemed as if there was always a large number of Mandalorians at the ship no matter what. Finally we reached the nose of the ship and were amongst the crowd. The mandalorians that saw me acted differently from any other Mandalorian I saw, they would nod their heads at me, almost as if they accepted me.

"You'll want to see this," Drax told me while walking to one side of the ship.

I followed him until he stopped moving and was staring at the ship, I turned and then began to understand why everyone was here. There was a hologram projection of several Mandalorian warriors posing for a picture with the very ship we were at in the picture. One of the Mandalorian warriors had his helmet off showing his rough face with a few scars on the side of his face. Yet despite the rough nature of his face he had a simple smile. It was even more interesting to see the man holding a small child on top of his shoulder as the child raised his hands in the air and joy plastered on the boy's face. At the bottom of the hologram was a plaque with the title of Jaster's

**Legacy Monument. There was a description below that read:**  
**Jaster Meerel, a proud Mandalorian and a loyal son of Mandalore. Creator of the Super Commando codex and founder of the Super Commandos. A wise man who kept his ties to the old ways and created new ways of Mandalorian to adapt to the changing galaxy. A great warrior, inspiring leader, and a loving father**  
**-Jango Fett.**

By the time I had reached to the end my entire body was shaking at this revelation. Not only had the man I was created after lead the Super Commandos but he actually knew Jaster Meerel on a personal level.

"That boy in the picture, its Jango. Jaster took Jango in and raised him" Drax said suddenly.

At this I had to let out a gasp, if what he was saying was true then I was a descendant of a Super Commando and of someone who was related to Jango. I knelt down at the plaque and tentatively touched the plaque with my hand, all of this too much to take in.

"What do you feel aruetti?" Drax asked curiously.

"...I'm home. It feels like I'm home," I said quietly.

I felt Drax kneel down next to me and place his hand on my shoulder.

"Welcome home then, brother,"

* * *

**Deathz: Ahh it feels good tobeback**

**Prowl: -sniffles- it feels good to be home**

**Denal: What the hell! How come I didn't get to go to Mandalore!**

**Deathz: Get promoted and then we'll talk**

**Denal: You're the damn author! Promote me already!**

**Deathz: meh, your better off as a trooper**

**Denal: I hate you -...-**

**Rex: How come I don't get to go either?**

**Deathz: Who else is gona get dragged into Skywalker's reckless strategies and face possible death and dismemberment**

**Rex:...I hate you too**

**Deathz: I do not own star wars or any of its characters. PAR KOTE BAL IJAATBE MAND'ALOR!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's notes: Hey guys, wow its been a while. I'm not going to bother getting into why this update took so long but either way here is the update. This chapter is shorter than what I have usually been posting lately but its 4th of July so I figured an update would be a nice gift. Happy 4th of July everyone and I hope you like the chapter. Also just to let everyone know, I will be using weapons and ships from the star wars role play website, if the weapon name is in bold then its from the site so you'll have to google the name to see what the object looks like.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own star wars or any of its characters**

* * *

After we had seen the monument, Drax decided that we should head back to the shop. We then walked out of the square and back towards the shop. The few Mandalorians that did see me go into the square nodded at me, as if I was instantly accepted by other Mandalorians. We continued to walk in silence until we finally reached the shop and walked inside. Parjir was at the counter of the shop but last out on the counter was a set of grey Mandalorian armor.

"If you were still an aruetii, we would've charged you a ridiculous price so that you wouldn't be able to afford it. But since you genuinely want to be a Mandalorian and Beskar prices are down, we can sell the suit for 300,000 credits," Drax explained as we walked to the counter.

Despite him saying that the prices were 'down' it still seemed outrageously over priced.

"300,000 is considered cheap?" I asked in disbelief.

"No. But for the first suit of a newbie it is," Parjir replied cheekily.

I grumbled but took out the credit chip the chancellor gave me and watched Parjir swipe it. The credit counter let out an beep and Parjir handed the credit chip back and then pulled out several spray paint cans.

"What are those for?" I asked.

"No self respecting Mandalorian would leave their suit gray. The armor just as much a part of them as Mandalore itself is, so you gotta make the suit yours," Drax said carried my suit over to a nearby armor rack, the wall behind it was smothered in different colors from past experience.

I picked up the spray cans and walked over to the rack, setting the paint on a small table to see what colors I would want to use. I felt a hand on my shoulder, looking over I saw Drax staring at me with a serious face.

"Theres no need to rush this. Take as long as you need to figure out what you're looking for. No one will take you seriously if your armor looks like shit," Drax stated while chuckling at the end. He then walked over to Parjir behind the counter as group of Mandalorians came in the shop. I focused on the paint I had at my disposal trying to figure out what colors would make my suit have actual meaning. I picked up the obsidian and neon blue cans seeing if any idea would stick out to me. As I held them an image had come to mind and I knew exactly what design I wanted. I then took both the blue and black spray can and started painting.

* * *

-Location: Drax's store. Time: 1423-

It took an entire hour but I had finally finished painting my suit of armor. Customers had passed through the shop during the hour, some actually looking at the armor I was working on. I stepped back to take a good look at my work as Drax and Parjir walked next to me.

"Thats some paint job you have Prowl," Parjir complimented while punching my shoulder playfully.

"Do you know what the colors mean to Mandalorians?" Drax asked.

"Black means justice while blue means reliability," I answered. The look on Drax's face and Parjir's body language showed that both were surprised that I knew this.

"Bet you didn't expect that for an aruetii?" I asked cheekily. Drax shook his head.

"We already accept you as one of us. Once you put that armor on it'll be official though," Drax replied.

"There is a changing room over there that you can use over there. Also this body suit is supposed to go with the armor," Parjir handed a folded body suit and then pointed to a room on the left of the counter.

I grabbed the body suit and my armor, heading towards the door. The door opened and closed as soon as I was inside. The room was just bate stone with a bench built into the wall and a mirror on a different. I put down my armor and body suit and quickly changed out of my current outfit and slipped on the body suit. It was completely black with some light padding for protection along my arms and legs. After that I started attaching the pieces of armor onto me, starting with my boots and moving onto the rest of my legs. Once I was done with that I put on the chest piece and armor for the arms and hands. I attached the jet pack model onto the armor, which happened to be the same jet pack model for my ARC armor. Finally I held my helmet in my hands and stared at it. It was the standard Mandalorian helmet with the infamous T visor. My own helmet was onyx with a neon blue line going down the middle of the helmet stopping just above the visor. I slid my helmet over my head and watched as the HUD came alive showing several different filter options along with an icon for a motion radar. I looked in the mirror to see how my armor looked. The entire set was obsidian except for the arm and leg part of the armor having blue flames as details for the armor. I didn't bother to test the functions of the helmet and grabbed my clothes and spare Mando helmet. I walked outside causing Parjir to whistle and Drax to let out a small smile.

"That armor looks good on you. You look like a real Mandalorian," Drax said.

"Thanks. You have no idea what that means to me," I said truthfully. It felt like a dream wearing the Mandalorian armor.

"What will you do now?" Parjir asked.

I put my hand to my chin in thought. I had to be careful of what I said, there was no telling who was working with the terrorists that bombed the hospital but I did need new weapons along with some local knowledge.

"I came here looking for some people. They caused problems for those I consider close to me so I'm looking to even the score," I stated.

"How do you know these people are here?" Drax asked.

"I took one of their data pads and deciphered some information. The organization's name was the Adenn. Name's Mandalorian so I figured I should check Mandalore," I answered.

Drax leaned back against the counter and crossed his arms in thought.

"I've heard of them, what makes you think that you can take them on?" Drax asked.

"I know my way around a blaster," I stated.

Drax got up and gestured to the walls of weapons and guns that he had.

"Take you pick. I want to see how well you can shoot," the Mandalorian stated. I looked around the store, it was a hard choice to make since he had so many blasters. I decided to stick with what I knew best.

"What type of snipers do you have?" I asked him.

Drax gestured me to follow as he and Parjir walked to one corner of the store. I followed them until we reached a wall full of sniper rifles. Each model was different and unique to each other while all still carrying the aura of deadlyness. One of the rifles had my curiosity though. It was a very long rifle, the barrel being very thin but making up more than half the blaster length. On the side of the blaster was a long harpoon like blade that just went past the blaster. The stock and grip of the sniper was completely wooden while the blaster body, barrel, and scope were silver. The scope was a big cylinder with dials on it to switch the zoom setting. The sniper also had a brown leather sling with two small pouches.

"What can you tell me about that sniper?" I asked Drax.

"Thats the Czerka Adventurer slugthrower rifle. Has a capacity of 50 shots and a range of 450 meters. Although this model was modified to fire blaster bolts as well as slugs so its a little more pricey than the stock version," Drax explained, showing his knowledge of weapons.

I picked up the rifle from the wall and shouldered it. The length would take some time to get used to but the rifle had a good feel to it, as if any other sniper wouldn't do the job right. I turned to Drax while slinging the blaster across my back.

"Do you guys have a blaster range where I could practice?" I asked. Drax snorted in offensive.

"Well of course we have a range, who do you think we are a couple of nerf herders?" Parjir answered while punching me playfully in the shoulder.

Drax went to the counter and reached inside it to grab a couple thin cylinder like objects. There were two types of them, one having a glowing red light in the center of it, the rest of it being black, and being smooth and round. The other one was gun metal gray and resembled a needle. Drax took one of each kind in one hand and showed them to me.

"The one with the flashing light lets you fire blaster bolts. The other fires slugs," He explained.

I didn't bother to hesitate since my experience was with blasters and not actual slug throwers, so I grabbed the blaster charge and slid it into the sniper. The rifle then let out a high pitch whine signaling that it was charged and ready to fire.

"Well at least you look like you know what your doing, follow us," Drax stated.

He then walked behind the counter and pressed a button on the wall. This caused the floor behind the counter descending like stairs. The Mandalorian warrior went down first followed by Parjir and then me as I slung the sniper across my back. A few minutes later as we went down the cramped stairway we reached an expansive underground firing range, with silver humanoid targets spread out at different distances. Several of the targets had multiple scorch marks. There was a table going from one end of the firing range to the other, being waist high to allow people to place their weapons downs

"If you can hit at least five targets past 50 meters, then I'll see if I can help you with finding the Adenn," Drax said while walking over to the counter to lean against it.

Parjir just say on the counter right next to her uncle. I unslung my rifle and walked over towards the counter, even though I had just started holding the rifle I was getting used to the feel of it. I got down on one knee and shouldered the rifle. The helmet's visor linked automatically to the scope of the blaster, letting me be able to see where the scope was sighted. It may have been a while since I used any sniper but years of training drilled into me allowed me get right back into the mindset of a sniper. I aimed at a small group of targets at least a 100 meters out, I took a deep breath while aiming at the dummy in the center of the group. A few seconds passed by of complete and utter silence. The silence was then broken when five blaster bolts flew in the air until they all made a clean headshot on each target. When the bolts impacted the targets they made a loud 'ping' noise. I lowered my rifle and glanced back at Parjir and Drax.

"Good enough for you?" I asked, a small amount of amusement in my voice. Parjir and Drax looked at each other before they both looked back at me.

"It'll do. Not many people know a lot about the Adenn except that they are somehow related to death watch. No one knows where they are except that they recruit well known Mandalorians to their cause. Only way you'll find them is if they want to find you," Drax explained while walking towards me.

I got up and slung the sniper again while cursing. That information just made the mission harder, I only had a month to build up enough of a reputation to find the Adenn.

"What did they do to you that has you chasing them across the galaxy?" Parjir asked with her hands on her hips.

I tried to keep my anger in check as I clenched my fists and grounded my teeth, remembering how the hospital looked after the bombing. All the clones and innocents that died.

"They murdered innocents, including several people that I knew. They need to pay for what they did," I growled, barely controlling how furious I was at that moment.

"I think I have an idea on how you can start your search for those savages," Drax stated suddenly. Both Parjir and I looked at him.

"Ad'ika has a contract. She won't admit it but she could actually use back up for once," Drax stated while looking at his niece.

For the first time since I met Parjir, she went from easy going to downright the embodiment of wrath in less than a second. She walked right up to Drax and started jabbing his chest with each word she spoke.

"You know damn well I don't need anyones help," she practically snarled. Drax didn't even bother to stop or her raise his voice back.

"This isn't like the other contracts and you know it. Its too risky especially for one person even if they are Mando," Drax countered as he pushed Parjir away slightly to give himself space. Parjir just slapped his hand away and continued glaring at her uncle.

'Definitely not the same Parjir I met back in Sundarii' I thought to myself.

Drax turned to look at me.

"You need to make a name for yourself. Fastest way to do that is to jobs and contracts for crime lords and anyone willing to pay," Drax explained. I nodded and crossed my arms.

"That makes sense. Where should I start?" I asked. I wasn't exactly comfortable working with scum but this was better than letting the Adenn roam free.

"Ad'ika has a contract with Jabba the Hutt from Tatooine. Apparently a small town that was under his control was taken over by a large band of bandits and pirates. You're going to help Ad'ika take out the pirates so that Jabba can take control of the town," Drax said. Parjir chose at that moment to storm pass the both of us and head upstairs.

"She is a prideful Mandalorian but some Mandalorians look down on her for being a woman as well as an orphan. She feels that she doesn't need anyone, just look after her for me," The veteran warrior asked in what almost sounded in a pleading tone.

I nodded and then headed up the stairs to catch up Mandalorian. When I got to the top I saw Parjir with her arms crossed and tapping her foot impatiently. As soon as she saw me she gestured for me to follow and walked out of the shop without checking to see if I was following. I raced out of the store to see that Parjir was walking up the cargo ramp of her ship. I sprinted to catch up to the angry warrior, just when I got inside the ship and was walking down the hallways only to find Parjir appear right in my face. If it wasn't for my life being surrounded in war and near death experiences I would've been surprised by her. She suddenly grabbed my arm and started dragging me. It was hard to resist her without dragging my feet so I had to keep up with her.

"What are y-"

"Shut up," Parjir cut me off without even turning around. Her tone showing how angry she as

I decided that it was better to not anger the warrior, so I kept quiet. Eventually we reached the cockpit, Parjir shoved me into the co-pilot seat and stared at me.

"Check the weapons, shields, and fuel reserves," She ordered coldly. She then left without saying another word.

I sighed and turned to the consoles checking the systems I was instructed to check. At the same time I was wondering why Parjir was so pissed off. There had to be a deep reason to it other than my presence being a nuisance to her.

'Her mood changed drastically as soon Drax suggested I go with her. She kept saying she could handle it herself..' I considered in deep thought.

I was broken out of my thoughts when Parjir came back. She sat down, placed her helmet on her part of the console. Her hair went to just above her shoulders and was blonde. She turned me to with her brown eyes but with the way she stared at me they might as well have been made out of ice.

"Well?" She half demanded.

"All systems are good, guns functional, shields up and running and are fuel levels are at 77%," I answered. She merely grunted and turned around to her console, flipping a few switches so that the engines would warm up.

"Hey uh Parjir?" I called out tentatively. She turned around with those cold eyes boring into my soul.

"I don't know if I did something to of-"

"Yeah you did do something. You and my Ba'vodu. He is too worried about me, just like he always is whenever I do contracts. And you are probably just like the rest of those assholes in Keldabe, the ones that don't really follow Mandalore's teaching and think that women should stay at home and have no place on the battlefield!" She shouted at me while her eyes showed how much anger was in her over this subject.

I realized that saying the wrong thing right now might makes things worse between us and we definitely didn't need that. She definitely wasn't someone that should stay home and let other people fight for her. Despite only knowing her for a short time I could tell that she loved her home and was a proud warrior.

"Look Parjir, I don't look at you like someone weaker or inferior to me," I started off saying. This made her stop glaring at me and look at me in surprise.

"You're the first warrior of Mandalore that I ever saw since I've been here. To me you're the ideal Mandalorian that other people should try to be. You're not afraid to fight and you love your home and culture. And I can't say I know your Ba'vodu but I'm pretty sure he just cares about you deeply," I explained in an attempt to calm her down and show I don't look at her in a negative way.

Parjir looked away from me, twisting a few nobs before pulling on the yoke of the ship, causing it to lift off. I figured it would probably be best to just stick to my own console and monitor the systems, to give Parjir space and let her cool down. Soon enough we were leaving the atmosphere of the planet and making the jump to hyperspace.

"...um, Prowl?" Parjir called out hesitantly while turning to me.

"Yeah Parjir?" I turned and asked. She kept staring at me until she closed her eyes and drew in a breathe and left it out.

"Thank you. You know for what you said. I'm not really good at apologizing or saying thanks especially since im prideful and stubborn, so uh yeah," she said awkwardly while scratching her head.

"Don't worry about it. I get where you're coming from especially with everything you said earlier," I said while waving my hand dismissively. She smiled before taking a look at her console.

"We have an hour or two before we get to Tatooine. We can't just have you walking around with only a sniper," She pointed out while standing up.

"What do you have in mind?" I asked curiously. She offered her hand to me and I grabbed it, letting her pull me up.

"I have a few extra blaster in the cargo bay, kinda like an armory," Parjir explained.

She then started walking down the hallway of the ship, me following her until we had finally arrived at the cargo bay. It was a lot more spacier since the cargo Parjir had carries to Drax's shop was already unloaded. It was an open area with a few pit droids attached to the wall as well as a table underneath a set of blasters attached to the wall on the other side. We walked over to the table that was actually used for working on the blasters judging from the broken down blasters as well as spare parts, Parjir gestured to weapons on the wall.

"I'll let you borrow one of the weapons but if you want to keep it you'll have to buy it from my Ba'vodu," Parjir stated.

I nodded and began to look at what firearms she had to offer. She had many carbines and rifles as well as a couple blasters. What stood out to me the most was a pair of black and silver blasters. Both blasters were completely smooth and sleek in their design, the barrel begin rectangular all the way down the body of the gun until it reached the charge pack of the blaster which was a small cylinder and the handle of the pistol was at a curved angle. Overall they were two unique blasters and they were something I have never seen before. I pulled both off the wall and held them in my hands, just like my new sniper these pistols felt right to me. I turned as Parjir whistled at my choice.

"Man you sure do know how to pick out unique blasters," She said while shaking her head.

"What is special about these blasters?" I asked curiously.

"Those two are **Heavy Charric MK 1 blaster pistols**. They aren't normal type of blasters since they use Charric technology. Basically they pack a much greater punch at the cost of ammunition as well as a decrease in a standard blasters range. Also they are pretty expensive," Parjir explained. I was getting more and more excited with what I was hearing about the pistols until she mentioned that they were expensive. Hearing that I just groaned. The Mandalorian women chuckled at this.

"Like I said you can borrow them until the end of the job. By the way here are some charge packs for your sniper and pistols," Parjir stated as she grabbed three charge packs for each of my nee blasters.

I put the sniper bolts into the pouch on the sling for the blaster while shoving the Charric packs into a pouch on my armor. All in all I felt more prepared for whatever job we were doing. It also almost felt like I was back with the army of the Republic, only difference was that I was basically a Mandalorian mercenary. I looked back at Parjir and spoke to her in a serious tone.

"I just want to say thank you for all that you have done. You didn't have to give me a ride to Keldabe or even introduce me to your uncle. Hell you could of just drove off and lift me after Drax said we should work together. What I am trying to say is that I appreciate what you and Drax have done for me," I told her with complete sincerity. Parjir scratched her head again while looking to the side, a smile almost appearing on her face.

"Don't mention it Prowl. As far as I'm concerned you are a Mandalorian, more so than some of the jerks I've seen. Lets head back to the cockpit and I'll fill you in on the finer details of the job," Parjir said in a appreciative tone.

"Lead the way," I replied while smiling.

* * *

**Deathz: Ah its good to be back, i missed writing this story**

**Prowl: Yeah, we missed actually going on with our lives**

**Rex: Like you're anyone to complain, Denal and I haven't been seen since last chapter. And we have a few new characters**

**Parjir: Hey there, Prowl who is the other guy**

**Prowl: -Starts to panic a little- ooh um, he is a friend from my past**

**Rex: The name is Rex, nice to meet you**

**Parjir: Nice to meet you as well, say are you a clone?**

**Prowl: -Decides to interrupt everyone- Hey has anyone seen Denal**

**Everyone: -shrugs- "No I haven't", "Who is Denal?", "Last I heard he was setting up a 'firework' "**

**Denal: Hey guys! I have the fireworks set up!**

**Prowl: Denal what Fireworks?**

**Denal: I found an old beat up Correllian nearby full of blasters and explosives! Since its 4th of July I figured why not make a firework out of it? So i added some actual fireworks as well as a few more explosives and there you have it! -holds up detonator and presses the button-**

**Parjir: Hey wait I think tha- -Ship blows up in a huge orange fireball while a few rockets fly out of the explosion to make several small explosions in the sky of several different colors. One of the rockets exploding into the symbol for the Galactic Republic-**

**-Deathz, Prowl, and Rex slowly back away-**

**Prowl: Denal...that ship belonged to Parjir. -Parjir seething with rage, slowly reaching for a knife on her belt-  
**

**Denal: Oh well I'll just say sorry, besides it was an awesome explosion! -oblivious to th enraged Mandalorian creeping on him with a vibro knife in hand-**

**Deathz: Well the thing is, Parjir is a Mandalorian woman who takes shit from no one. **

**-Denal pales in fear, turns around to see the Mandalorian about to kill him. He ducks underneath a slash meant for his head and runs as fast as possible with Parjir on his tail screaming curses that even navy captains would be proud of-**

**Deathz: Thats all for today guys, PAR KOTE BAL IJAAT BE MAND'ALOR!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's note: Hey guys welcome back to Rising Renegades, it has been a while but hopefully this chapter will make up for it. Also just to let you guys know if anyone is a slugterra fan I have recently made a new story on it so check it out if you want. Anyway lets get started with the story.**

* * *

**-Location: In orbit above Tatooine. Time: 1667-**

We got out of hyperspace as soon as Parjir finished going over the details of the job. Jabba the Hutt had been expanding his reach along the Western Dune Sea. However a warlord by the name of Thul and his band of mercs had retaken a town that Jabba had captured. The Hutt crime lord sent his thugs to put the town back in order, the only problem was that the mercs slaughtered the criminals. Jabba wen as far to hire other bounty hunters to take care of the problem but even they were killed. So Jabba sent out a call to bounty hunters, Parjir being one of the hunters. We were flying into the atmosphere of Tatooine, heading to the target.

"So whats the actual plan when we reach the outpost?" I asked Parjir.

"We're going to land the ship just on the outskirts of the city. After that we gather intel on what the threats look like and see from there," Parjir answered.

It took thirty minutes before we were landed on the outskirts of the outpost. Parjir grabbed a Heavy Charric Mk 1 rifle as well as two mandalorian blasters. The rifle used the same tech as my pistols but was equipped with a scope and an under barrel launcher. The rifle packed a lot much powerful punch than my pistols so it would really come in also grabbed a brown duster for herself, she gave me one as well. At the moment both of us were on a ridge overlooking the outposts. Parjir was using a pair of macrobinouculars while I used the scope from my sniper rifle. We were surveying the small town and identifying targets. The rebels were patrolling the town while interacting with the citizens of the town. They treated the innocent people like they were beneath them, stealing from them while beating them.

"You see the town center?" Parjir asked.

I moved my sniper towards the center of the outpost and saw a grim sight. There were eleven wooden posts lined up in a row. Each post had a body tied to it, the corpses ranging from a simple human to a massive wookie even for its species standards. There was a sign above posts that said "Jabba and his scum is not welcomed".

"Thats a comforting sight," I pointed out sarcastically. I wasn't the first time seeing death or morbid sights but it was still unsettling.

"We can handle it Prowl," Parjir said confidently while punching my shoulder playfully. I rolled my eyes and continued looking at the town.

"Do you have any idea where the main base is for these guys? The rebels keep moving around not really staying in one place," I asked my Mandalorian partner.

"No idea. But we can't spend days trying to find out, Jabba wants this job wrapped up by tomorrow," Parjir explained.

"What do we do then?" I asked her.

"At dusk I'll go down to the town. I'll take someone to interrogate to find out where their base is. Then I'll fight my way over while you stay here as overwatch for me," Parjir explained. I nodded but I was slightly worried, Parjir was practically going in blind and with no back up. We set up a small tent on the ridge to block the scorching Tatooine sun while we waited for dusk to settle in. We made small talk in the mean time about Mandalorian culture and our thoughts on the pacifists that were unfortunately in charge of Mandalore. Eventually the sun was close to the horizon, allowing the dark to begin to settle in. We both took the tent down and got ready for the job.

"Wish me luck," She said jokingly before sliding down the ridge.

Parjir landed in a crouch before pulling up her Charric rifle to sweep the area. She then sprinted towards the nearest building for cover. The Mandalorian women pressed herself against the wall of the small home.

"See anyone I can grab?" She asked me over the comm channel we shared. I looked through the sniper scope to see a guy going towards an alleyway next to the building she was using.

"To the left of you their is a small alleyway. There is a single rebel there armed with a blaster pistol, no armor or anything else to worry," I replied.

Parjir didn't bother to respond. Instead she immediately moved to the alleyway where her target was. She picked up a rock lying on the ground and threw it into the alleyway. This immediately got the attention of the rebel as he raised his pistol and slowly walked towards where Parjir was. She set down her Charric rifle and waited for the man to get close enough. When he was close enough Parjir grabbed his wrists with both hands and swung him into the wall of the building. The man let put a pain filled gasp as his body slammed into the brick wall. Parjir didn't let up as she drove her armored fist into the man's gut making him double over and dropping his pistol. She finished it by punching him in the face and putting him in a head lock while covering his mouth. I couldn't hear what she was saying since she switched to the speaker on her helmet to talk her captive. Eventually she released him enough to talk to her and after a couple minutes she snapped his neck. As soon as the man was dead she let the corpse fall to the ground as she picked up her Charric rifle.

"Prowl look for a building with a Krayt dragon skull," Parjir ordered.

I looked around until I found a building with the dragon skull. It was a three story brick building with the skull above the door. The building itself was around the size of a small industrial warehouse so it could easily hold a lot of people. I also noticed a bigger presence of rebels walking around the building and the surrounding area.

"Yeah I found it. There are a lot of rebels milling around it. There are also a couple patrols moving around the town," I explained.

"Good to know, from here on out shoot to kill," Parjir stated before moving down the alleyway.

I loaded a sniper bolt into the rifle causing it to power up ready to kill. Soon enough the Mandalorian bounty hunter was peaking around a corner seeing two of Thul's rebels talking to each other by a building in front of her. One of them had her back to her and that was the one who received Charric blast to head. The man's skull was immediately charred as he fell to the ground with out a sound, startling his partner. The other rebel couldn't do anything to save himself as he received to blaster shots to his chest, the impact of the shots throwing him to the ground. Unfortunately the rebel had enough strength to pull his blaster pistol and fire a couple shots to the sky before accepting his death.

"Osik," Parjir swore.

"You got five rebels closing in with another seven not too far behind. The first group is coming from up the street," I told her as I saw the targets coming towards Parjir.

"Are you waiting for an open invitation or what?! Start shooting the damn di'kuts!" Parjir yelled at me as blaster bolts started pelting the wall she was using for cover.

I aimed at one of the rebels who had a thermal detonator in his hand. Just when he was about throw it I fired, the blaster bolt going cleanly through his skull. The man fell to the ground with the active grenade still in his hand. When the explosive went off it engulfed another rebel that was nearby causing the women to be launched into the air and fall back down with a sickening thud. I turned to a rodian armed with a repeating blaster and fired two shots to the chest. With the numbers thinned enough, Parjir was able to lean out of cover and eliminate the last two rebels.

"Group of seven coming from the rear," I warned my partner as I shifted my sniper to get a better aim.

Parjir however beat me to it when she turned and flew into the air with her jetpack. She flew at the next wave of soldiers as they were raising their blasters at them. Parjir quickly fired her missile launcher at the center of the group, the explosion engulfing four of the would be shooters. The other three were thrown from the blast and were killed when Parjir made clean head shots on each injured rebel.

"See why I told Ba'vodu that I didn't need a partner," Parjir said confidently as she landed on the roof of one if the buildings.

"You're definitely tearing these guys a part," I stated jokingly while looking through my sniper.

"We got a problem," I said in a serious tone.

"What is it?" Parjir asked just as serious.

"It looks like Thul's gang is converging on their base. Most are going inside while a few are staying outside. They are setting up automated turrets including a few assassin droids," I explained grimly. The blaster turrets and the rebel guards were bad enough but the assassin droids were extremely durable. Parjir glanced to where the base was before going back into cover.

"Yeah I saw it. This is definitely going to be a challenge. Relocate to my position so we can set up a plan," Parjir explained while reloading her missile launcher.

-few minutes later-

"So any ideas?" I asked as I landed o the rooftop from using my jetpack.

"Honestly with all the guards it looks like we are going to have to force our way inside the base," the bounty hunter said.

"But we don't know how many are inside the base. We could be walking into a trap," I pointed out while leaning against a small wall on the roof.

"We don't know if they have some hidden escape route inside or not, for all we know they could be escaping as we speak. The contract requires the bodies of each rebel including Thul," Parjir counted. I sighed, she did bring up a valid point.

"Whats the plan then?" I asked, accepting the possible suicide mission.

"We're gonna have to run across the roofs of these buildings. We need to get as close as possible to Thul's base. From there I'll take out the sentry turrets with my launcher while you pick off anyone that tries to pick me off including those droids. After that I'll move inside the building while you stay outside and pick off anyone that tries to escape," Parjir explained. Her plan was so simple yet so reckless I couldn't help but let my mouth fall to the end of my helmet.

"Thats your plan? Hop across roofs with little to no cover dodging blaster bolts?" I asked in complete shock.

"Yup, why you aren't scared are you?" She asked while punching my shoulder playfully.

"No I just want to make sure I understand the suicide mission," I said nonchalantly. Parjir chuckled.

"On three we run. One..two...three!" She shouted and then leapt from cover. I slung my rifle across my back and raced after her.

Not even a few seconds from jumping across the first roof did the rebels unleashed a hurricane of blaster fire towards us. Both Parjir and I fired a quick burst of our jetpacks to fly over the deadly lasers and land on the next rooftop. We continued this process for another two minutes, more than once a stray bolt had grazed my armor leaving a blackened streak on the neon blue details. Finally we got into cover in the form of a couple durasteel crates lying around on a rooftop closest to the enemy base.

"Well, we survived," I said jokingly while getting my rifle ready.

"Now for the fun part," Parjir said while grabbing her rifle.

She popped out of cover and quickly fired a missile at one of the of the sentry turrets that was hammering our cover. The weapon of death instantly blew up into a ball of fire and smoke. I then got put of cover as well and took down three rebels with just as many shots, each to either the chest or head. Parjir kept taking down any sentry turret she saw while providing suppressing for me to keep picking off targets. After what felt like hours we finally managed to clear the exterior of Thul's base. Blaster riddled bodies, dismantled droids, and broken turrets littered the battlefield. Parjir and I cautiously got out of cover with our weapons still raised in case of any more of Thul's men popping out.

"Seems like everything is cleared," I commented while lowering my sniper.

"Seems that way. You remember the next part of the plan?" The Mandalorian bounty hunter asked. I nodded.

"Just make sure you stay on the comm channel in case I need to save you," I said in a dead serious tone. Parjir just waved her hand dismissively and then reloaded her rifle and launcher.

"Yeah yeah. I'm sure I'll be fine," She stated confidently before igniting her jetpack to land near the front doors of the enemy building.

I laid down on the roof while aiming rifle in case I needed to cover Parjir. Parjir grabbed a thermal detonator from one of her pouches and placed it in the center of the two large doors. Once the explosive was primed she hugged the side of the wall to shield herself just when the bomb went off. Steel shrapnel and debris flew around the front of the building violently, kicking up a small dust storm. From my position I couldn't see anything so I had to switch my scope setting to night vision just to cut through the dust cloud. I saw the back of Parjir just as she went inside the enemy base, almost immediately the sound of a firefight broke out. I grit my teeth at the fact I couldn't back up my partner, despite knowing her for a short time she had started to grow on me and I didn't want to see her get killed. Eventually a couple explosions could be heard from inside the building, I hoped it was Parjir from firing her missile launcher. Then abruptly the firefight stopped, there wasn't a decrease in the blaster fire it just stopped altogether. I gripped onto my sniper tightly and tried to zoom in on the entrance to see anything but it was too dark inside. Suddenly I saw a blue Rodian in armor calmly stroll out of the base. I was about put an extra hole in his head but stopped myself when I saw Parjir being escorted outside by a human male pointing a blaster. Parjir's hands were being held behind her back and she didnt't have her blasters or helmet. Eventually what was left of Thul's gang was outside of the base numbering in twenty. One of Thul's gang was holding Parjir's helmet and her rifle. The Rodian that lead everyone out grabbed a speaker from one of the other gang members.

"We have your partner captured. Come out and surrender or else you'll watch her die, painfully," The Rodian threatened.

"Osik," I swore. Parjir was completely surrounded and I couldn't risk trying to take them all on. Just then an idea hit me as hard as a pod racer. I dropped sniper and my charric pistols onto the rooftop and reached into my pouch for two silver sphere devices. I hid both in my hands so that the rebels wouldn't see it. I activated my jetpack and flew into the air, landing in front of the crowd. I put my hands up in the air but made sure they couldn't see what I was holding in my hand. When the Rodian saw me he chuckled.

"I knew you would come to see reason. Now this is whats going to happen, your friend here will watch as we carve your skin and flesh from your bones for trying to take over this town. Then we will leave her with whats left of you to go warn Jabba and any other crime lord to not dare stand up against Thul!" The Rodian said, completely confident in himself. Thul was about to motion two of his men towards me before I cut him off.

"I'm afraid to say that isn't going to happen. What is going to happen is that me and my friend will be walking out of here alive," I said in a completely serious tone. This caused Thul and his men to start laughing. While they were laughing Parjir looked at me as if I was insane. Thul then gestured to me.

"Oh do tell Mandalorian. Do tell how you would manage this when you are unarmed and we know that you are the only other bounty hunter in this town. Do you have some trick up your sleeve to get you out of this?" Thul asked sarcastically. This time it was my turn to chuckle causing everyone to look at me in confusion.

"I wouldn't say I have a trick up my sleeve. More of a sleight of hand," I said while slowly showing everyone the two detonators I had in my hands. I primed both grenades to show how serious I was. The entire crowd of criminals tensed and immediately raised their blasters at me.

"Ah ah ah. They're already armed, if I die we all die," I said as if I was lecturing a child. Thul grimaced and lowered his blaster as did the rest of his men.

"You're willing to sacrifice your own life and your friends just to finish a job?" Thul asked as if I was insane.

"If I take a job I intend to finish it. But you took my partner, something I am more than willing to rip anyone apart over. The fact you're still breathing shows how lucky you are," I snarled, acting as an intimidating bounty hunter. It worked as some of Thul's men began to look to one another in fear.

"The only way we all won't die here and now is if you return my partner and her helmet. You can keep the rifle as compensation for the men we already killed," I said seriously.

Thul looked at me and then to Parjir, he signaled his men. The man holding Parjir let her go and the man holding Parjir's helmet gave it back to her. Parjir immediately put it back on and walked over to me. As soon as she was by my side the situation was at its most tense, some of Thul's men were reaching for their blasters while Thul still had his blaster lowered.

"So you leave now and we all pretend this never happened?" Thul asked hesitantly.

Oh how disappointed he was going to be.

"You misunderstood my meaning. I said that we all wouldn't have to die if I got my partner back. Now, only you have to die," I said coldly. I tossed both detonators into the center of the crowd. Everyone including Thul stared at the explosives in horror.

The detonators went off but not in the way everyone expected. Both grenades released a cloud of dark blue gas that immediately enveloped the rebels. All of the rebels began to start coughing violently as blood began to flow from their eyes and nose, within a matter of minutes the cloud of gas had dissipated but the corpses of all the rebels were on the ground bleeding. Thul was the last one alive as he crawled towards me. He lifted his head as his face was caked in blood.

"W-why?" He managed to groan.

"I told you, if I take a job I intend to finish it," I answered calmly.

Thul collapsed and died in the dirt right after, surrounded in the blood of his men. I turned to my partner who was just staring at all the bodies.

"You alright?" I ask in concern. Parjir looked at me before slapping me in the back of the head. It didn't hurt at all but it definitely confused the hell out of me.

"What was that for?!" I asked in confusion.

"What the fuck Prowl! You could've gotten us killed, did I not tell you how dangerous those crypt grenades were?!" She asked in frustration as she practically pressed her helmet into my own while poking my chest.

* * *

_**-Flashback-**_

**_Location: en route to Tatooine. Time 1512_**

_During the briefing for the job Parjir reached into a compartment on the ship and pulled out two thermal detonators. She held them out to me, signaling me to grab them._

_"Whats with the thermal detonators?" I asked curiously while reaching out to grab them. She pulled her hands away urgently as if I was about to make a mistake._

_"Whoa whoa whoa! These aren't any normal grenades. They're crypt grenades," Parjir explained._

_"Crypt grenades?" I asked in confusion._

_"Its my own version of a smoke grenade. It releases an airborne poison of cryptberries. In small amounts it can knock out a person but in high doses it liquifies a persons internal organs," Parjir explained dead serious._

_Now I knew exactly why she had pulled the explosives out of my reach. Hearing the devices potential made my blood feel like it had been exposed to a carbon freezing chamber._

_"The good thing is that our helmets have built in filters so we wouldn't have to worry about the gas," the Mandalorian commented while carefully handing me the grenades. I placed them in one of my pouches, hoping that they didn't go off by mistake._

_"I'm sure we won't have to use them unless the situation is desperate," I commented, trying to comfort myself rather than Parjir._

**_-Flashback end-_**

* * *

"You were captured for force sakes! It was either that or we both ended up dead," I protested in my defense. Parjir sighed and shook her head.

"I'm not saying what you did was wrong and I do appreciate the save. Just try not to make this a habit alright?" She asked tiredly. I nodded in response, if it hadn't gone right I could've gotten us killed.

"What happened back there, how did you get captured?" I asked while leaning against a building that was nearby. Parjir sighed before leaning against the wall right next to me.

"Everything was fine at first when I got inside, I took out at least ten of Thul's men but then someone snuck up on me and slammed my helmet with their rifle. It left me dazed for a few minutes, long enough for them to grab me," Parjir said bitterly. I chuckled at hearing her situation and how similar it was to mine.

"Tell me about it. I was tracking three people on Coruscant when one of them knocked me out when I wasn't looking," I reminisced. Parjir couldn't help but chuckle slightly.

"Seems like we both have the trouble of getting jumped. We should really watch each others back on missions then," Parjir said playfully. I laughed before getting off the wall and standing up.

"Says the one who insisted going in the enemy base alone," I pointed out while smiling. Parjir got up and growled.

"Not like you were coming up with any plans," the Mandalorian grumbled. I held my hands up in defeat before the argument escalated.

"We should head back to the ship and meet Jabba. Tell him that the mission is completed," Parjir suggested. She then turned around about to activate her jetpack but stopped to look at me.

"Did you really mean what you said? About tearing anyone apart for me?" She asked curiously.

I froze for a moment, I honestly didn't think about what I said it was more of an in the moment thing. However I could tell that Parjir was someone I was growing to care for.

"We haven't known each other for long but you're my partner, I'll go through hell and back to keep you alive," I declared passionately.

Parjir stared at me, almost in thought. Then she turned around and fired her jetpack, shooting off towards the ship. I stood there for a moment wondering why she didn't say anythying before flying after the Mandalorian.

* * *

**-Location: Drax's shop, Mandalore. Time: 2354-**

After we went to Jabba's palace to pick up our credits. After that we immediately left into hyperspace heading towards Mandalore. For the most part Parjir and I just talked about other potential jobs that we could take after having time to rest at Drax's shop. At the moment Parjir was retelling everything that happened on the job to her uncle.

"..so then this Di'kut decides to grab the crypt grenades I gave him and almost got us killed! If the leader hadn't given me my helmet and had actually shot Prowl the gas would've killed everyone," Parjir finished explaining while pointing her thumb at me. Drax shook his head while chuckling.

"That was pretty ballsy of you Prowl, thanks for protecting Ad'ika though," Drax said in appreciation. Parjir humphed and turn to the side.

"You make it sound like I needed help," the bounty hunter said accusingly. Drax laughed and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"I trust your skill Parjir, but you and I both know that no one is invincible," Drax stated wisely. Parjir glanced at Drax before nodding in agreement.

"Not to interrupt or anything but you said you could help me find Adenn," I said pressingly.

I already spent a day being off mission and I had a month to find the assholes who killed my brothers. Drax and Parjir looked at each other before Drax gave me a serious look.

"When you and Parjir talked to Jabba for payment, did he even talk to you?" Drax asked. I stopped to think and realized that Jabba didn't speak to me once. I shook my head to answer.

"Exactly, to the Hutt you're just a nobody. To the Adenn, you're just another Mandalorian. If you want to find them it would be easier for them to come to you rather than you hunting them down. To do that people gotta know you which means do more bounties," Drax explained. Parjir nodded in agreement.

"I was able to get a contract from Jabba for being one of the more well known bounty hunters," Parjir added.

"Well if thats the case I need to do more jobs. Where can I find bounties?" I asked both Mandalorian warriors.

"For now I think you should stay with me and any job that I do," Parjir stated suddenly.

Both Drax and I were immensely surprised by this, especially Drax since it looked like his eyes were about to pop out. Parjir seemed to get annoyed by our silence due to her facial expression.

"I'm not doing this because I need back up but you need more experience with contracts and bounties. You're not ready to go solo just yet," Parjir said sternly.

"Parjir's right. I need more experience as well as recognition as a Mandalorian," I said in agreement.

"Well first things first you got to pay for those blaster pistols I leant you if you want to keep them," Parjir commented, I just stared at her.

Honestly it felt like they were trying to get whatever credits I had. I swiped my credit chip and watched as Drax charged me. Before he ended the transaction Parjir held up a hand and gave Drax a small pile of gold credits.

"Thats Prowl's cut off the job," Parjir explained. Drax nodded and put in the amount of credits onto my card.

"As of right now you have 213,000 credits left," Drax stated. I was at least happy that I had a good amount of credits to last me.

"You should buy yourself a star fighter," Parjir said suddenly.

"Why would I need a star fighter?" I asked in disbelief.

"I won't always be around to give you a lift. Its better for you in the long run," Parjir explained. I just stared at her, honestly when she wasn't being playful or stubborn she had a lot of good points.

"Where would I go for that?" I asked curiously.

"Towards the center of the city there is the Mandalmotors tower. Thats where everyone gets their star fighters. We can go tomorrow in the morning," Parjir suggested.

I nodded but then stopped, it was already so late and I had no idea where I was going to stay for the night. Almost as if he read my mind Drax spoke up.

"You can stay upstairs in the guest room for the night. I know you just got here and its the least I can do for you protecting Parjir," Drax offered kindly.

"I'd really appreciate that Drax," I said appreciatively.

Shortly after Drax lead me to the guest room. It was a simple room with a bed pushed to the left wall of the wall. Next to it was a night stand with a light and a window. To the right wall was a open closer and two units to wash and dry clothes. There was another door that lead to a bathroom that was decorated in tiles. The room itself was painted dark blue while the floor also was tiled. There was a plaque of the Mandalorian tenets above the bed. I put aside my blasters to the right side of the room along with my blasters. I took off my armor and placed it next to my old pile of clothes and helmet when I first arrived. After all that I collapsed to the bed, it was really late and I had just got back from an intense firefight. If anyone had told me I didn't deserve to catch some sleep I would knocked them out on the spot.

* * *

**Prowl: Being a bounty hunter is tougher than I thought**

**Deathz: The hell are you talking about? You're a soldier fighting a galactic war? How hard can it be to take down a group of criminals?**

**Denal: Yeah brother, the battle of teth was way harder than taking down that band of thugs**

**Rex: Maybe it was because he had to save Parjir**

**Prowl: Exactly! That was nerve racking I thought we were going to die**

**Denal: I wonder how Parjir feels about you saving her and telling her you would fight for her**

**Prowl: Yeah thats a good question, Parjir you never said anything about all that**

**Parjir:...**

**Prowl: Parjir?**

**-Parjir turns and begins to walk away-**

**Deathz: Well that was weird. Anyway I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as possible. PAR KOTE BAL IJAAT BE MAND'ALOR!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's notes: omg it really has been a long time. I can't say I have a ton of legitimate reasons for not posting so often but my old phone did crash on me recently with the previous chapter in progress on it so I had to rush this short chapter just in time for today, so merry Christmas everyone! And happy holidays to all**

* * *

**Location: Drax's shop, Keldabe. Time:1328-**

Once I woke up this morning, Parjir immediately started hounding me to get ready so that we could get over to MandalMotors tower. On the way over to the tower I was able to see more of the true Mandalorian society. Everyone was talking to one another as if they had known each other for years. Two female warriors were entertaining a group of kids with knife throwing tricks. Merchants chatted with one another and their customers exchanging banter and jokes. I pointed this out to Parjir and she explained that whether they got along or not that everyone in Keldabe considered each other family above all us. Eventually we arrived at MandalMotors tower, were the land surrounding the tower was a expansive market for the tower's products. Parjir and I ran into a friend of Parjir, a Mandalorian tech named Ryker. Ryker had a friendly, joking personality and seemed to be in a permanent good mood. Ryker worked at MandalMotors and showed us all the star fighters that they had, eventually I settled for their Fang Fighter. I asked if we could test it out and Ryker led us to a hangar fit for a star cruiser underneath the tower. From their I jumped into the cockpit of the starfighter and I took off like a blaster bolt. By that I mean I almost crashed into the ceiling as soon as I powered the ship, I was lucky enough to steer the to the side to avoid my certain death. I could hear Ryker laughing over the comms of the ship while Parjir practically yelled at him and punched him in the side. After that incident I continued getting used to the controls and handling of the ship, which was very pleasant and easy to handle. From there I decided that I should purchase the star fighter, although when I heard the price of it for 207,000 credits but Parjir stated that I needed a starship so I ended up buying it, leaving me with just 6,000 credits left for my mission.

"Thank you for your purchase you both have a good day now. And whenever your ready to give up the Corellian trash heap let me know Parjir," Ryker joked as he walked away.

"Don't count on it you di'kut!" Parjir shouted to him.

"I can't believe I spent that much creds for a ship," I mumbled while looking at my ship. I was surprised when Parjir elbowed me in the arm.

"Quit complaining, you and I both know that you need the ship. Remember I won't always be there to give you a ride," Parjir stated while crossing her arms at me.

"Yeah your right," I said while scratching the back of my helmet.

With that said I stuffed my rifle and jetpack in the storage compartment if the ship and jumped into the cockpit. Suddenly I realized that this ship only had one seat with no room for Parjir.

"How are you going to get home Parjir?" I asked. Parjir pointed to the jetpack on that she was wearing.

"Just fly slowly and I'll follow," Parjir commented. I shrugged since what she was doing was kinda crazy but she suggested.

I closed the cockpit and fired up the engine causing the starship to roar to life. I slowly pulled the ship by the yoke stick, having already learned my lesson was the first piloted the craft. I began to ascend into the sky flying low over Keldabe and began to head over to Drax's shop. I began looking around the sky for Parjir only to just witness her land on the left wing of my Fang Fighter. I was honestly in shock at how casually she was acting from sitting on a flying ship.

"Nice view you got here Prowl!" She yelled in a playful tone.

"You're insane Parjir!" I shouted while laughing.

"I'd be disappointed if I wasn't'!" She replied. Parjir surprised me even more jumping off the ship before activating her jetpack and flying right behind me. I shook my head at her antics.

Eventually we reached Drax's shop. I landed my Fang Fighter right next to Parjir's freighter. As I was stepping out of the ship my Mandalorian companion fly right up to me before landing in a roll. Parjir then stood up and took off her helmet allowing me to really look at her face. She had short blonde hair that reached down to just above her shoulder, light tan skin tone despite wearing armor, grey eyes like a storm and her face having a somewhat heart shape. I couldn't help but stare at her since I rarely had interactions with women, never giving much opportunity to interact with the opposite sex. I was brought out of my daze when Parjir started giggling.

"See something you like?" Parjir asked while smiling. I shook my head to regain my senses.

"All I see is the picture of a Mandalorian warrior," I replied honestly. Hearing this made Parjir looked the side with her cheeks becoming slightly red. Before I could ask if she was ok Drax came out of the store.

"Wow, haven't seen a Fang Fighter since the Protectors of Concord Dawn," Drax said while running his hand along my ship.

"You should've seen Prowl Ba'vodu, as soon as he gets behind the controls of the fighter he nearly crashed into the ceiling," Parjir commented while chuckling. That got the old Mandalorian to let out a monstrous laugh.

"Did he now? Well then I wish I was there to have seen it," Drax replied while still laughing.

"Oh ha ha, laugh it up," I grumbled while grabbing my Czerka from the Fang Fighter.

"Anyway Ad'ika, what ate your plans right now?" Drax asked after he finished laughing. Parjir put a hand to her chin in thought. She then smiled as she snapped her fingers.

"We can head over to the Oyu'baat. We can order some food, get another bounty and then see if we can get some more creds," Parjir explained.

"That's a good idea. It might even help Prowl get somewhat of a reputation," Drax complimented. Hearing this did grab my attention as I did only have about a month to gain the attention of the Adenn.

"Yeah lets go then," I said while slinging my sniper.

Parjir nodded, pulled her helmet back on and gestured for me to follow. Drax waved as we left him and went back into his shop. This time Parjir and I took a different path back into the main center of Keldabe. Once again we passed stalls and merchants talking to one another and their customers, Mandalorians in full armor talking amongst one another or entertaining children. Even though Parjir had already explained it, it was still overwhelming to see such a connection between people. As we got further into Keldabe I began to notice that the buildings and business around us were slowly switching from just consumer goods to places for people to relax such as restaurants, hotels, etc. This also showed by there being more Mandalorians in this area than the shopping area, everyone seemed to be trying to have a good time. Eventually we arrived at a weather grey stone building at least 7 stories tall. There was a slanted blue neon sign that said Oyu'baat tapcaff and a beaten durasteel sliding door letting patrons in and out.

"The infamous Oyu'baat. This place has been around longer than any person living on Mandalore. Keldabe is the true captial of our home, which makes the Oyu'baat the capital of Keldabe. If you want good food and a nice place to have a meeting or to secure a bounty, then this is the place to go," Parjir explained. I had to admit hearing all this was pretty incredible, I just loved learning and seeing more of Mandalore.

We both walked inside to the cafe, the entire atmosphere almost similar to other cantinas. There was a large bar towards the back of the wall filled with a bunch of different drinks and several patrons sitting on stolls getting drinks. There were several tables and booths seating armored and unarmored Mandalorians. To the right side there was a round target placed into the wall with a few people throwing knives and other projectiles at the target while a few other patrons sat at nearby tables cheering the people on. To the left was a terminal where fully armed bounty hunters were browsing what jobs they wanted to take. Parjir grabbed my arm and pulled me over to the terminal. After a few minutes of waiting for people to step away from the bounty we activated the console. The device lit up as it revealed a hologram of a human male, with details on why the bounty was placed and who the bounty was placed on. Parjir kept moving through the choices of what bounties we could take before settling on another human male. The picture of the human male showed the target wearing a dark blue pilot suit customized with bits of armor. He was cradling in one arm a pilot helmet that had a huge orange sphere like visor and a blaster pistol in his other hand. The man's face was twisted into a snarl of rage with one of his eye's completely gone along with multiple burns on the same side of his face.

"Kyber Savo, Corellian male. Wanted for piracy and raiding on Republic convoys passing through an asteroid field near the systems of Felucia and Rhen Var. Suspected to have a station hidden amongst the asteroid field. Commands a squadron of 11 fighters in total, consisting of heavily modified Z-95 fighters and stolen Y-wing bombers. Eliminate Savo and his band of pirates for a total reward of 36,000 credits," Parjir read out loud.

"Only 36,000? Seems like a low amount considering the fact that these criminals are interfering with the war," I commented.

"Thats probably why the amount is so low. There's a war going on and they need the money they have to keep it going," Parjir reasoned. That did make me stop and think, I never thought about the cost of the war.

"Either way this will be a good way for you to get used to space combat," Parjir commented while turning towards the bar.

"Yeah, or a good way to get myself killed," I said while rolling my eyes. This earned me a soft punch to the shoulder.

"You're not dying you di'kut. Not while you have me as your partner," Parjir declared passionately. I brought my arm around her shoulder and gave her a half armed hug.

"And~ if you get captured I'll be there to save your sorry butt," I joked with Parjir. The female Mandalorian stiffened before pushing me aside and walked over to the bar.

"Can I get two Gi dumpling soups to go?" Parjir asked the bartender while handing him a small amount of creds. The man nodded and took the credits. Parjir then turned back to me.

"Ok so this job is not going to be like the last, clearly since it'll be in space. As you know my ship isn't the fastest space craft out there so I'll have to focus on using the turret to defend myself. You on the other hand will have to hunt down whatever fighters there are," Parjir explained in a serious tone that I'm not used to from her.

"But it is still 2 of us and 11 of them, how are we going to absorb all that blaster fire?" I asked, just as serious as she was.

"I can have the pit droids on my ship make emergency repairs if we have to. But I'm not sure about you.." Parjir admitted. She then suddenly looked back up at me.

"We can have Drax install a slot on your ship for Hacksaw!" Parjir exclaimed with excitement and a bit of mischief. I was a little worried at why she was so excited about whoever 'Hacksaw' is.

"Who is Hacksaw?"

* * *

**deathz: meh not really feeling up to doing a convo with the characters**

**Prowl: when do you ever feel like doing anything**

**deathz: oh shut up**

**Rex: I like how you said you weren't feeling up to writing a convo and yet here you are**

**Parjir: Has a point**

**deathz: bah! humbug to all of you nerf herders**

**Denal: now that was just rude**


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's notes: Hey guys what is up! Its been too long since I've updated its good to be back, a lot has happened star wars wise since the last update so I just want to mention them. First, Star Stars Rogue One, what else is there to say its an amazing movie truly it was very emotional and everything you could want in a star wars movie, honestly is my top favorite of the movies as of now. Second, Carrie Fisher's passing, I can't say that I knew her besides the time spent within the Star Wars franchise but from what I have heard the world has lost another amazing and truly wonderful person and she will be dearly missed. Wherever she may be right now, I know she will be able to see how much of an impact she had in people's hearts and how much she is loved. Anyway on to the story.**

* * *

**-location: Drax's shop. Time:1402-**

"Can you please just tell me who or what Hacksaw is?!" I half shouted to Parjir as she continued keeping a firm grip on my arm and dragged me to Drax's shop as we ran through Keldabe.

As soon as Parjir mentioned Hacksaw she grabbed the boxes of soup and me as well and shot out of the cafe like a proton torpedo. Parjir chose not to respond and just kept running. Finally we managed to get back to her uncle's shop as she barged right on into the building with me still being dragged behind.

"Ba'vodu! We need Hacksaw!" Parjir shouted to her uncle as he just finished business with a customer. Drax's helmet was off so I could see the scars that dotted his tan face although his blue eyes were still sharp and calculating. Drax looked at Parjir as if she was crazy.

"Why the hell do you want that psychotic astromech?" He asked skeptically. Parjir finally pulled me right beside her.

"We have another assassination job but we need to make sure Prowl's interceptor can make repairs if needed," Parjir explained. Drax nodded slowly before shrugging, heading towards the back of his shop.

"His funeral," Drax muttered. I turned to Parjir and despite my expression being hidden she knew that my mood was 'what the fuck is going on?'.

"Hacksaw is um..a 'eccentric' R2 unit," Parjir tried to explain while scratching her arm. I crossed my arms while still staring, forgive me if i seem rude but hearing it would be 'my funeral' or Hacksaw being 'eccentric' wasn't exactly comforting. Both Parjir and I jumped when we heard a bunch of crashes and several osik and haar'chak being fired like an auto blaster. Suddenly a black and red astromech was shoved towards the counter while Drax was right behind the droid, still mumbling under his breath.

"This, evil little bastard, is Hacksaw. An R2 unit with a huge chip in its circuits," Drax grumbled. The droid didn't like what it said, turning on the Mandalorian and started letting out binary code in a angry tone.

The way the droid spoke was slightly deeper in comparison to General Skywalker's R2. I had to say seeing the droid act was interesting to say the least. Funny how on Teth I told Denal it would be cool to have an astromech and now I may actually get one.

"So whats the story behind this droid?" I asked. Everyone turned to look at me, even Hacksaw.

"This droid was created on Mandalore by a small company, with the idea in mind of creating astromech droids capable of being useful in actual combat. The company's plant and headquarters blew up in some freak accident. Rumor has it that it was sabotage from Sundari, others say that the droid prototypes they had revolted. Either way, Hacksaw was the only survivor and ended up in my care. Although he is more trouble than he's worth," Drax explained though the last part was said under his breath.

Hacksaw didn't like the comment and turned again on Drax except this time from one of the compartments popped out a westar 35 blaster and aimed it at the old warrior. Drax's expression was surprised which then turned to annoyance as he ducked below a short burst of blaster fire. Parjir immediately rushed Hacksaw and snatched the firearm from the droid and glared at it. Drax got back up and crossed his arms while staring at the droid. To say the situation was tense was an understatement.

"So uh..is it common for him to fire blasters at people?" I asked, not sure how to feel about a deadly R2 unit. Parjir grunted before placing the pistol on the store's counter.

"You have no idea, we still have no idea where he gets them," she commented.

"Anyway Ba'vodu, can you modify Prowl's fighter to fit Hacksaw?" Parjir asked. Drax glared at the potential murderer of a droid before sighing.

"Fine, it'll take a couple hours though," Drax conceded. Parjir then turned to me while holding the food containers.

"Thats good, Prowl and I can eat and talk in the mean time," Parjir said in a cheerful tone while holding the soups.

Hearing this instantly made my blood freeze as if I was on Rhen Var. I would have to take off my helmet to actually eat and I don't know how they would react if they saw my face. Not many people actually viewed us clones as people. It also wouldn't help if word got out that a Republic soldier was on Mandalore, it could cause the Adenn to go into hiding.

"I don't like taking my helmet off in front of others," I said too quickly. 'Shit, I don't have an actual reason!'. Parjir and and Drax looked at each other before looking back at me.

"Uh why?" Parjir asked slightly annoyed. I looked to the side while desperately trying to think of an excuse.

"My face..got scarred badly from the Adenn. One of the reasons why I'm hunting them," I blurted out. I bit my cheek hoping they would actually believe what I said.

Parjir actually looked sad while Drax's face remained impassive, he kept staring at me as if trying to figure something out.

"I understand, you can eat in your room I'll just help out Ba'vodu," Parjir stated slightly down while handing me the gi dumpling soup and heading outside. Drax continued staring at me before dragging Hacksaw and heading outside as well.

I went upstairs to eat my soup alone. It did give me some time think on the mission I was on and what progress I was making. Two days have already passed and I already had the occupation as a bounty hunter and own a ship. Despite the fact I have heard nothing or have had contact with the Adenn. As far as I was concerned I was doing alright for this mission but I needed someway to gain the Adenn's attention. Maybe if I completed a difficulty bounty that most consider impossible then they would try and seek me out. An hour passed with me eating the delicious soup while thinking about my mission till I heard a knock on my door.

"Prowl its Parjir! Ba'vodu fixed up your ship," Parjir called out. I grabbed my sniper and put on my helmet as I walked outside.

Parjir was standing right outside the door with her helmet off. She was smiling at me although it seemed a little forced. It was a little worrying considering that she is usually in a playful mood.

"Everything ok?" I asked her. It seemed to snap her out of it a little as she shook her head before looking at me.

"Yeah everything's fine Prowl. Now c'mon we need to get this bounty done," Parjir said while punching me in the shoulder playfully.

The Mandalorian bounty hunter then turned and headed downstairs, I smiled seeing her back at her normal self and walked downstairs as well. Soon enough we were outside where Drax was standing right by my ship. Drax's armor seemed a little darkened and he had a pair of goggles on instead of his helmet and several tools were laying around him. There was also hunks of metal nearby with scorched edges. Surprisingly Hacksaw was nowhere in sight. Another surprise was the fact that the Fang Fighter looked exactly the same.

"Where's Hacksaw?" I asked while looking around.

A hatch sprang open near the end of the interceptor and Hacksaw flew out of it, landing in front of us. He then spun around while speaking happily in his binary language. I was surprised to see how easily Hacksaw was able to fit in the back of the ship and the fact that he seemed happy.

"I managed to tear out some non-essential parts right behind the back of the pilot seat and installed an astromech slot so that Hacksaw can have access to the systems for the shields, engines, and laser cannons. i would've gotten it done quicker had the little bastard not try to torch my face," Drax explained while glaring at Hacksaw. The droid, ever the angry astromech, turned to the Mandalorian and held up his torch threateningly towards Drax.

Drax just growled before walking before going back inside the shop. Parjir turned to me and started pushing me towards the interceptor fighter.

"Well no time to waste Prowl. We need to get into hyperspace and kill that di'kut before he gets off the grid," Parjir stated as she continued moving me as if I was a child. I managed to move her arms off me so that I could walk on my own while looking over my shoulder at her.

"Why are you in such a rush to get on the job?" I asked Parjir.

"The quicker we get on with this job the sooner you can be to finding the people you're looking for," Parjir explained. It honestly surprised me that she and Drax were willing to help me with my mission.

"Thank you Parjir," I said while looking at her.

She nodded and then pointed at my ship while saying 'get'. I rolled my eyes but continued walking towards my ship where Hacksaw was still standing by. He was looking at me but made no attempt to get back inside the interceptor.

"C'mon Hacksaw we got to go," I told the astromech. His response was a series of angry and quite rude statements.

"Yes I know how to fly a damn star fighter now get in!" I snapped at Hacksaw. The R2 unit this time said a couple statements that were actually even worse than earlier.

"Who the hell are you say things like that your just a droid! Now get in before I frag you scrap heap of a chassis!" I practically shouted while pulling out my charric pistol, aiming it right at the eye of Hacksaw.

I was surprised when the droid was so nonchalant about almost getting blasted as he slowly walked off while still saying some aggravating comments. At the very least though he did get inside the Fang Fighter. I can see why Drax and Parjir don't normally have Hacksaw around, not even ten minutes with the droid and I was abut ready to scrap the R2 unit. I sighed as I holstered my pistol and stashed my Czerka into the storage of the ship and hopped into the cockpit. Parjir already had her Corellian freighter ready to take off. I switched on the engine causing the entire ship to roar to life with its electronics. As soon as everything was set and in good condition I started receiving a hail. I opened the com-link channel since I could only think of one person who was contacting me.

"Hey Prowl you hear me alright?" Parjir's voice echoed through the entire cockpit of the ship.

"Yeah I can hear you Parjir. Are we ready to head out towards that asteroid field?" I asked her while slowly pulling my ship off the ground.

"Yeah we're set. Just follow me out to space till were at the right hyperspace lane and then I'll send the coordinates to make the jump," She explained as her ship began flying to the sky.

I followed her right by her side as we broke through the atmosphere. Soon enough we were flying past other star ships at they went in and out of Mandalore whether they were merchants, cruise liners, or bounty hunter ships. I never had the chance to actually fly my own ship into space since I was just a ground pounder in the army so it was a breathtaking experience for me. The complete blackness of the universe being dotted by the millions of stars in this system with the moon of Concordia and the planet of Kalevala being present in the Mandalore system. A set of coordinates was displayed on one of the screens in front of me. I locked in the coordinates towards our target and activated the hyper drive. Both Parjir and I's ship both shot forward into hyperspace, soon obsidian was replace by light blue as we traveled towards our destination. I have only seen what we know as hyperspace a few times onboard a Venator cruiser, it was beautiful. Seeing the colors go right past you, barely being able to remember what went by but it still being all around you.

"Beautiful ain't it Prowl?" Parjir asked over the comms.

"Yeah it is. Makes you stop and wonder about deep stuff," I answered while just staring out into hyperspace. I was broken out of my daze when I heard laughter through the ship.

"Deep stuff? Geez Prowl what a philosophical statement," Parjir said while chuckling. I rolled my eyes from her statement, seriously what is with everyone making fun of me trying to be deep.

"Laugh it up Parjir. All I'm saying is that looking at it gives of a sense of...wonder," I explained after trying to find the right word to describe what I felt. A couple minutes passed by before Parjir responded.

"You have a point Prowl. Never thought about it but I do get that feeling whenever I look out into hyperspace or when I look at a sunset. Almost as if there has to be more to life," Parjir admitted. I smiled and let out a chuckle.

"Well you do have to admit that what you said was some 'deep stuff'," I commented with a big grin. It was enjoyable getting a little payback.

"Oh shut up you di'kut," Parjir said playfully.

It would take another hour before we finally made it to the system where Savo and his pirates would be.

-**Location: asteroid belt. Time: 1507-**

As soon as we made it to the asteroid field Parjir said to make sure shields were up and cannons were prepped to fire. The asteroid field was immense, there was only a small area which is where we came in from before there was nothing but rocks ranging from the sizes of a thermal detonators to larger than venator cruisers.

"How are we going to find them in this maze of space debris?" I asked her while looking around as we slowly flew into the field.

"They probably already know that were here. We just need to keep flying till we find them or they find us," Parjir explained as her freighter flew in front of me.

"Let me take point on this. My ship has stronger hull and shields than yours," Parjir stated as we continued flying through the field.

We kept flying through the field for what seemed like hours. It was a terrible feeling, knowing that we were practically walking into a ambush and we had to keep going anyway. I had experienced this a few times in the war, each ambush was unfortunately costly for the Republic. There had been more than a few times where my armor was heavily damaged and I had to be rushed a medical facility, sad thing was that I was one of the more lucky ones. Suddenly my radar pinged, I looked at it to see a couple of blips lazily moving around not too far away from our position.

"Parjir, do you see those contacts?" I asked my partner.

"Just ignore them, there probably interference from all the asteroids or maybe destroyed Republic ships," Parjir said as she continued flying her ship through the field. I wanted to just go with what she said but I couldn't shake the feeling that contacts were more than just blips.

As we continued flying through the asteroid field, more and more ghost contacts kept popping up on radar. I kept telling Parjir that we should go check out the contacts but she kept insisting they were nothing. However to be safe we flew away from these ghost contacts. The weird part though was whenever we tried flying away from a direct path towards a less crowded part of the asteroid field the contacts started popping up in our direction. It was as if we were being herded towards a specific area, definitely felt like an ambush. Things got even worse when both Parjir and I started hearing the sounds of star fighter engines but there was not other contact on the radar except the ghosts that were still just moving around lazily.

"They around here somewhere," Parjir growled, not from anger just from nerves.

We might as well have been flying blind we didn't know where they were but for all we know they were right on top of us. I couldn't shake the feeling that they were already here. At this point the star fighter engines was a constant noise as if they were following us. I looked up and to the sides to see if there was any movement or anything that could show if the enemy was here but there was nothing. If they weren't above, to the left or right of us then I don't know where else they could be.

"Hey look up ahead!" Parjir shouted suddenly.

I angled my interceptor to the right of her to see that there was an open area practically free of random asteroids except one rather large asteroid. The thing that made this asteroid stand out was a hangar like structure built into asteroid as well as a docking pad on top of the asteroid with a freighter secured to the pad. Now I was completely lost, how was it that we made it this far yet we haven't run into any of the pirates or Savo. Movement caught my eye and I looked down below Parjir's ship to see two Z-95 headhunters aiming directly at her freighter.

"PARJIR BANK LEFT NOW!" I screamed into the coms while diving my fighter down towards the two pirates.

Parjir didn't even hesitate as her ship turned hard to the side as the Z-95s fired proton torpedoes. The missiles just barely missed the hull of the YG-4210 as Parjir continued to pull her ship to the side. I immediately fired my blaster cannons in retaliation shredding one of the fighters while the other headhunter continued following Parjir. Parjir or one of her pit droids must of seen the pirate trying to get a lock on her because the laser turret turned around and tore through the headhunter's armor and shields. The fighter exploded into a inferno, I flew right through it just to stick with Parjir.

"Where the hell did they come from?!" Parjir shouted, turning her ship back towards the open part of the field.

I had no idea. It wasn't like we didn't know that the ships were here we could hear their engines but we just couldn't detect them on our radar.

'Wait a minute..' I went back and thought about everything we've seen so far.

Our radar is practically useless with these ghost blips and I was only able to spot the two fighters from looking down from my cockpit. My eyes widened as I released what was happening.

"The pirates our jamming our radar! Those ghost blips are false contacts, these pirates don't appear as contacts on the radar. We have to spot them with our eyes," I explained as drove my fighter right next to Parjir's freighter.

"But how do we draw them out?" Parjir asked. It took a couple seconds before I saw what we would use to drag out Savo and his men.

"We destroy their base. We fire as many torpedoes as possible till they come back to defend it, then we wipe them out," I stated in a serious tone.

Both Parjir and I then turned our ships and launched a salvo of proton torpedoes against the pirate base. All the projectiles impacted against the hull of pirate freighter, completely destroying the space ship causing it to become a mini sun. As soon as the freighter was destroyed the sound of star fighter engines coming close to us.

"Hear they come," Parjir warned.

"Keep firing on the base I'll circle your ship and cover you as well as spot targets if needed," I stated while turning my fighter to circle around Parjir.

It took a few seconds for another group of pirates to come in. They must've been scattered around the field but now they are heading back to defend their base. This group was another two headhunters in addition to a stolen republic y-wing. This y-wing had the logo of crossed blasters on the nose while the ship was re-painted white and green rather than the original yellow.

"We got three ships incoming, one if them is a y-wing!" I warned Parjir as I fired a barrage of blaster bolts at the incoming enemies.

All of the pirate fighters veered off in different directions to avoid getting scrapped. I went after the y-wing while Parjir turned her freighter to chase after the headhunters. The y-wing began to head back into the asteroid field to try and escape, I switched powers to engines and stayed on his tail. Unfortunately for me the y-wing still had a functional ball gun turret as I saw it turn to towards my ship. I had to pull hard on the stick just to avoid a hailstorm of blaster bolts from the turret, I flew behind a asteroid only to swing around and fire a proton torpedo to the side of the y-wing. The stolen republic bomber immediately was destroyed, I flew right through the fireball and then moved back towards the base. I saw Parjir's ship was still being harassed by the two headhunters, each time her blaster turret had a bead on one of the pirates the other pirate would swoop in and fire a few shots to throw off the aim of the turret. Just one of the headhunter was about to pull off this maneuver again I flew straight at him and held the trigger for the blaster cannons. The first bolts clipped the wing of the Z-95 but then the pirate pulled his ship up and away from both Parjir and I. The pirate's wingman wasn't so lucky as the Mandalorian bounty hunter finally got a lock on the headhunter and shredded the shields and armor of the fighter. This resulted in the incom fighter being vaporized instantly, unfortunately the remaining fighter managed to go back to the safety of the field.

"Thanks Prowl. Those two were annoying as hell," Parjir said gratefully.

"Keep firing at the base, the rest of Savo's crew will come soon," I stated as I began to fly around Parjir again.

Parjir wasted no time and started firing another barrage of proton torpedoes. This group of missiles impacted the side of the asteroid right where the hangar was. A force field was in place to protect the actual hangar but the actual rock took a heavy beating, most of it being destroyed to reveal a metal surface underneath it all. Just like before the sound of star fighter engines could be heard but this time it was the loudest its ever been.

"We got company," I warned as I turned my fighter towards the incoming ships.

This group was everything Savo had left. It was five more headhunters and another stolen bomber, at the front of the fighter group was a Z-95 except that it was painted completely white with the nose and wing being green. At the front of the ship was also the bust of a Rancor's head.

"How do we confirm the bounty by the way?" I asked Parjir as her freighter moved to the side of me.

"We have to take pieces of the destroyed ships and show them as proof of the bounty," Parjir explained as she opened up with her ion cannon and blaster turret.

Her barrage managed to take down one of the headhunters while disabling another. This caused the remaining ships to break off and try to surround us. I banked right to go and follow Savo and one of the headhunters.

"Prowl be careful, Savo is considered an ace by most respectable pilots," Parjir said worryingly.

"Understood, watch your back friend," I told Parjir as I gave chase to the pirate leader.

As it seemed with the other pirates, Savo and his wingman flew into the asteroid field for cover. I chased after them and fired at the Z-95 closest to me. The pirate managed to angle his fighter to dodge the barrage as Savo moved his star ship upwards and out of sight. I swore as I continued trying to hit the pirate that was in my sights, I didn't know where Savo was and he could easily pop out of nowhere. Unfortunately for me this pilot was skilled enough that he managed to dodge every attempt I made to destroy his headhunter. It got even worse for me when I started seeing blaster fire fly right over my cockpit, I looked behind my ship to see Savo's headhunter trying to get a lock on my ship.

"Parjir how are things on your end?!" I yelled as a burst of blaster fire nearly skimmed the wing of my ship.

"Not so good!" Parjir shouted over the boom of an explosion.

"Shields can't take much more of this, that bomber is relentless and its wingman isn't helping," Parjir said, her voice full of frustration. At this rate we were going to end up having the vacuum of space as our tombs.

"If I swing by your ship do you think you can take down one of the fighters that is on me?" I asked as I dove underneath an asteroid just to dodge another crimson volley.

"Only if you manage to destroy one of these assholes," Parjir replied.

I didn't bother to respond as I angled my fighter out of this clusterfuck and made my way towards Parjir. I glanced behind me to see Savo was right behind me still firing his cannons with his wingman not far behind. I could only hope and pray that I could make it to Parjir before either one of us got blasted to bits. After a few minutes of almost turning into a charred wreck I finally managed to clear the asteroid field to see Parjir and her two enemy fighters. Her freighter was trying to move away from the bomber while chasing after the Z-95. I figured I'd have a good chance at taking out the Y-wing as it moved in to take another pass for my wingman.

Just as the stolen bomber was lining up to intercept the Correlian ship I increased power to the engines and unleashed a hell storm of blaster fire, taking out the star ship's shields and punching through the armor. The Y-wing turned into a mini sun as it exploded, I flew right through the debris and past Parjir as I fired a proton torpedo right at the headhunter in front of her. The projectile slammed right into one of the engines of the headhunter causing the star ship to spiral out of control before impacting an asteroid. Fortunately my luck was beginning to improve. Despite the fact that one of the last pirates that was chasing me managed to get a couple hits on my fighter Parjir shredded the Z-95 into scrap. My luck ended there however, when I saw the wreckage to see that it wasn't Savo's headhunter. I began to turn my ship back towards to Parjir.

"Where's Kyber?" I asked, worried since he was the leader of this pirate squadron.

Parjir didn't have the chance to answer as two proton torpedoes crashed into the blaster turret on the freighter. The turret was completely vaporized in the explosion while a few small explosions wracked through the rest of the ship. Parjir's ship was hidden from sight by the cloud of debris and smoke coming off the ship from the torpedoes.

"PARJIR!" I screamed as Savo swooped above Parjir's ship and then fired a few bursts at my Fang fighter.

A couple sparks flew across my consoles as the shields died and a couple blaster bolts impacted against the armor of the ship. Savo flew right past my ship as I shot forward to try and put some distance between us.

"Hacksaw! Try and get the shields back up or we're both dead," I ordered my droid co-pilot as Savo wasted no time chasing my ship while firing.

Hacksaw let out an affirmative tone as he did his best to get the shield generator back online. I was surprised he did as he was told with out his rebellious nature, maybe it had to do with seeing Parjir's ship getting destroyed. I couldn't let myself focus on what happened to Parjir but after this battle, if I survived, I knew it was going to stab me like a lightsaber. I didn't know her for long yet she had done so much for me and it felt like she and I went through as much as I had been through with my brothers. At the very least I would do my best to avenge her.

Unfortunately for me Savo wasn't going to make this easy at all. No matter how much I twisted and turned my interceptor I just could not shake this ace pilot. The only saving grace I had was that Hacksaw did manage to get the shields online while we continued dogfighting. I should've been able to get around Savo's old Z-95 with my newer Fang Fighter yet the pirate was more than skilled enough to keep the aging fighter model on my tail. At this point I was considering going into the asteroid field to try and lose Savo but even then the pirate ace probably knows this place like he knows his fighter. I really was lost as far as what to do, every maneuver or trick I could think of but Savo managed to stay right on me. I hated to start to think it but I was really considering this to be my final fight. It made me think about how I was never going to say goodbye to what little family I had. The general, the rookie, Denal and Rex, people I fought beside. I realized that Drax was never going to get closure since I was the only with Parjir when she died and I was likely to join her.

Suddenly the comms system started to crackle slightly, it was such a surprise that I almost let Savo get another shot off on my ship. It wasn't like many people had my comm codes, maybe Savo was trying to hack into my communication.

"Hacksaw see if you can clean up that transmission," I told the droid as I continued flying through debris from the destroyed fighters. Hacksaw let out a few clips and tones in response.

"Yes I know the shields need to be maintained but no one has our codes. So I want to know who is trying to contact us, just fix it i'll focus on flying," I ordered firmly. I was not in the mood for his rebellious tendencies.

Surprisingly Hacksaw did manage to get the signal clean and I was more than shocked by who was on the other line.

"Prowl! Prowl come in! For fuck sake Prowl answer me damn you!" Parjir practically screamed over the comms. I couldn't have smashed the reply button any faster.

"Parjir yes I can hear you, thank the Force you're alive," I yelled as a proton torpedo just exploded behind me. Savo was relentless.

"Its good to hear you but listen Prowl, Savo is too skilled to take on in a normal dogfight. You need to use your ship's drag!" Parjir stated urgently.

"My what?" I asked in confusion despite the fact that Savo was still on my ass.

"The lever on the right! Just pull the damn lever on the right!" Parjir shouted in anger and frustration.

I wasted no time as I leaned to the left and pulled on lever. Immediately my fighter decelerated and the wings of the ship rearranged themselves with one wing right above the cockpit. Amazingly though, I watched as Savo entered my field of vision as he flew right past my ship. I switched the lever back to its original position and gave chase to Savo, I wouldn't give the pirate ace the chance to get behind me again. I let loose everything I had, the blaster cannons unleashed their destructive power while two proton torpedoes were locked right onto Savo's Z-95. Savo managed to dodge most of the blaster bolts but a couple clipped his wing causing his shields to fail. The pirate then dodged both proton torpedoes but one of them exploded too close to his fighter and sent shrapnel into one of his engines. The damage to the engines caused the once fast fighter to began to slow down. Savo tried to keep his fighter out my line of sight but it was futile. I carefully lined up my fighter with his as he banked hard on a turn around his former squadron's base. I felt only anger as I held down the trigger to fire the cannons. I felt only grim determination and justice as I watched Savo's ship get torn to shreds as the bolts completely destroyed the fighter's armor. Savo died as he lived, in his star fighter, only it turned into a ball of fire and shrapnel. I didn't give the wreckage a second glance as I turned my ship to Parjir's damaged freighter.

"Parjir, how bad is the damage?" I asked my partner.

"Well," Parjir began, that can't be good.

"Good news is that engines are good as well as the shields," the Mandalorian stated.

"Bad news...life support and hyperdrive systems are disabled. It can't be fixed with what I have onboard the ship," Parjir explained grimly. My entire being felt numb and cold. I thought I had already lost her only to hear that I might lose Parjir anyway.

"There's got to be something we can do!" I practically shouted as I held my head in my hands, trying to figure out what we would do.

I wanted to deny it but there really wasn't much around. Just space rocks, destroyed fighters, and Savo's base. I lifted my head up as I realized what I had just thought.

"The space station!" I shouted as I turned my fighter towards the hollowed asteroid.

"What are you thinking?" Parjir asked, her voice slightly hopeful.

"If we can get inside then maybe we can find the supplies to repair your ship and leave. Hacksaw scan the base see how we can get inside," I said as Parjir followed me towards the base.

"I hope this works Prowl, I really do," Parjir mumbled, I hate to admit but her ship probably didn't have that much clean air left.

"It will work, it has to," I said in determination.

* * *

**Deathz: So I have a question for all the readers, who is your favorite character from Rogue One?**

**Prowl: What? Why not ask us?**

**Denal: Yeah thats pretty messed up, you have something against clones?**

**Deathz: What? No I just thought I should ask the readers.**

**Rex: Well it wouldn't kill you to ask.**

**Deathz: Ok fine geez, who is your favorite character from Rogue One?**

**Rex: Chirrut**

**Denal: Chirrut**

**Prowl: Chirrut**

**Deathz: Ok why?**

**Everyone: ****I AM ONE WITH THE FORCE THE FORCE IS WITH ME! ****I AM ONE WITH THE FORCE THE FORCE IS WITH ME! ****I AM ONE WITH THE FORCE THE FORCE IS WITH ME!**

**Deathz: -...- Of course. Anyway that's it for today, I don't own Star Wars or any of its characters. PAR KOTE BAL IJAAT BE MAND'ALOR!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Author's notes: Hey guys welcome back to Rising Renegades, before we begin I just want to give a big thanks to all of you guys that have been with the story all the way to this point really means a lot to me. Now enjoy the latest update :)**

* * *

**-Location: Asteroid belt. Time: 1721-**

We already spent five minutes trying to figure out a way into the base and things were getting desperate. Parjir wouldn't say anything but her voice was getting shallower by the seconds, this was just as worse as when my platoon was killed in the hospital bombing. I just couldn't let my partner and someone who I was starting to care for die like this. I slammed my hands on the console in front of me.

"Hey Prowl, could you do me a favor?" Parjir mumbled.

"Don't talk Parjir, save your breathe," I said desperately.

"Can you..tell Ba'vodu that I love him?" Parjir practically whispered.

At this point I would've given anything just to save Parjir's life. There had to be some way to get inside the base.

"Hacksaw do you have any idea on how to get in? I asked my co pilot. The astromech let out a couple of whirs and few chirps.

"No no no, we don't have time to find a hatch for an R2 unit," I answered back. Hacksaw's response was very colorful and angry.

"Prowl.." a whisper echoed through the cockpit.

"What is it Parjir?" I asked quickly. I was still flying my ship back and forth around the base.

"There's..something...I want to..te-" She stopped in mid sentence. I waited a few seconds but she did not finish her sentence.

"Parjir?! Parjir! PARJIR!" I shouted into the comms. I still received no answer. It felt like my heart was going to explode.

I felt anger, rage and sorrow all at once. A great and skillful Mandalorian, only to die to system failures. I screamed in anger as I turned my fighter and fired as many bolts as I could into the shields of the hangar. If they had just been deactivated then we could've made it inside and Parjir would still be alive. I just couldn't believe I had lost Parjir again. I continued pouring everything I had into the shields, even proton torpedoes, just to vent my anger and rage. It was during my haze of rage I noticed that there was an explosion on the side of the shield. The shield immediately went down and a blast shield began to come from the right. I saw my chance and grabbed it as if it would win me the Clone Wars.

I pulled my ship behind Parjir's freighter and then put as much power as I could to the engines. My fighter immediately crashed into the back of the Corellian freighter, causing it to lurch forward towards the hangar. I continued following behind the star ship, occasionally bumping it into the direction of the hangar instead of the side of the asteroid. Both Parjir and I's ship barely made inside before the blast shield slammed shut. I was barely able to slow down my ship and land while Parjir's ship skidded and scrapped the floor before slowing down to a screeching halt. I jumped out of my ship as fast as possible with Hacksaw right behind me. By the time we reached the crashed freighter a hatch had already been opened and a pit droid was trying to pull something through it. When it saw me running over it gestured for me to help, I pushed aside to see that it was dragging Parjir by her arm.

The droid moved aside so that I could pull the Mandalorian out quickly and lay her on the floor. I ripped of Parjir's helmet only to see that her face had gone a light shade of blue where lips were bordering white. I didn't hesitate as I tore of my helmet and began chest compressions, shortly after I gave two breaths and looked to see if Parjir was breathing. Unfortunately she wasn't and I continued pressing against her chest armor. A minute had gone by and Parjir was still not breathing, tears were starting to fall from my eyes. All the effort to get her inside the base, just for nothing. I gritted my teeth and formed a fist, slamming it against Parjir's chest and then gave two more breaths. Once more I glance at the Mandalorian's chest piece and was rewarded by it rising and falling. I looked up at Parjir's face as laid her head on my lap and waited for my partner to regain consciousness. It took almost a minute before the Mandalorian's face went back to its normal color. After that Parjir's eyes began to move underneath her eyelids before the Mandalorian shot up from my lap. Parjir was gasping for air and she was looking around frantically. I left her calm down not wanting startle her or be on the wrong receiving end of a fist. Eventually Parjir stopped hyperventilating and turned to look at me only to gasp. I wasn't sure why she was looking at me as if she saw a ghost.

"Something wrong?" I asked the bounty hunter.

"Jango Fett..." Parjir whispered. I was still confused as to what she meant, till I realized my helmet was off.

'Fuck,' was the only thought I could think of. I sighed and reached over to my helmet to put it on. Just when I grabbed the piece of armor, Parjir stopped me by putting her hand over mine.

"I know your not actually Jango, he died at the beginning of the Clone War. You're..a clone aren't you?" Parjir asked, her voice showing that she was still in shock. There really was no avoiding it now. I sighed and look off to the side.

"I am," I said. Parjir seemed to be having trouble taking all of this in.

"So..you went awol from the army?" Parjir asked hesitantly, although for some reason she seemed hopeful.

"No, its uh complicated," I tried to explain.

Parjir's face showed sadness and betrayal. Then it turned to anger as she made a fist and slugged me hard in the jaw. The impact is hard enough for me to fall to the ground. I hold my jaw as Parjir towers of me, her face twisted in rage all the while tears stream down her face.

"Was this all just some covert mission?! Befriending Ba'vodu and I to get on out good side?! Saying all those things that you said to me on Tatooine?! PRETENDING TO ACTUALLY GIVE A SHIT ABOUT BEING A MANDALORIAN?!" Parjir screamed in fury.

"No! None of it was a lie I meant every word I said and everything I did with you and your uncle was not a facade!" I shouted desperately, trying to calm my friend down.

"Then why are you here?!" Parjir yelled as more tears fell down her face.

I needed to find a way to calm her down so she would listen. I did the only thing I could think of, which actually could get me killed. I closed the distance between Parjir and hugged her as tight as I could. I could feel how shocked the Mandalorian women was from the embrace. Parjir didn't move for what felt like hours before shakily moving her arms to wrap around me. She seemed to have calmed down a bit but I had no illusion that everything was alright now. I pulled away for her so she could be looking at me.

"I'll explain everything. Just hear me out please," I pleaded. Parjir's face was unreadable but she did nod.

I sat down in front of the Mandalorian prompting her to sit down as well. From there I told her how I came to have arrived on Mandalore. How what was left of most of my pod brothers were killed in the hospital attack. How I hunted down the killers only for one to escape. How I found out that they were based on Mandalore and the mission I was given. I also explained how I generally wanted to connect with the Mandalorian culture, to actually have something more than just a birth number. I continued telling her basically everything I could think about myself. Parjir listened intently, her facial expression ranging from curious to sadness from time to time. After at least ten minutes I had told everything.

"Thats about it. Do you still think that everything was a lie?" I asked her.

"No, honestly I can't blame you for what you have done. If anything you've been nothing but genuine since I've met you," Parjir stated. Her face however showed that there was still something bugging her.

"Whats wrong?" I asked her.

"I'm going to be blunt about this. Do you have romantic feelings towards me?" Parjir asked with an emotionless face.

If I had been drinking something I would've spat the entire thing out. Instead I settled while looking off to the side while feeling some strange heat build up in my cheek. I had no idea why she was asking if I was being honest.

"Um no, I see you more as a comrade in arms and a close friend," I said awkwardly while scratching my head. Apparently my answer didn't make Parjir satisfied, judging by her expression.

"So then all the nice words and flirting was for nothing?" She asked in an angry tone. This was really getting confusing for me, what was wrong with the words I said?

"No they weren't for nothing. I meant every word I said, why would me having romantic feelings make the meaning different?" I said in confusion. The Mandalorian looked at me as if I had three heads.

"Telling me that you would go through hell and back for me is something that someone would say to their love," Parjir explained in frustration.

"But I would do the same thing for my brothers and I don't love them the way your thinking," I defended myself. This seemed to cause Parjir to stop and think about what I've been saying as she stumbled for words.

"Yeah but-"

"But you forget that I'm not a normal person. I'm a clone, I don't have a mother or a father. The Kaminoans didn't bother to teach me how to feel or have emotions. I was bred for war. The only feeling that I have truly known is to care for the wellbeing of my brothers and comrades. The same feeling I feel for you," I cut her off and stated.

Parjir had her mouth open in an O as she began to go over what I was telling her. Suddenly her cheeks began to redden slightly and she started tapping her fingers quickly.

"So...I basically read the signals wrong?" She asked shyly.

"What signals?" I asked her. Parjir again looked at me like I had three heads. She then just giggled while getting up and offering her hand to me.

"C'mon Prowl. We can discuss those 'signals' and other things you're completely dense in after we get out of here," Parjir joked while smiling.

Although it was good to have the Parjir I knew and love back I couldn't help but glare half-heartedly at her calling me dense. I let it go though and settled for punching her in the shoulder playfully. She returned the favor by slugging my own shoulder like a turbo-laser blast.

"Any ideas on where to start?" Parjir asked while looking around.

We were still in the hangar bay and now that the life threatening crisis was over we could take a better look around. The hangar was large enough to house Parjir's freighter and my interceptor with plenty of space to spare. There was several supply crates as well as broken down star ship parts laying around the hangar along with a industrial loader crane attached to the ceiling.

"How about you and your pit droids check out the crates in here and see if there is anything worth salvaging," I suggested.

"Where will you be?" Parjir asked curiously.

"Hacksaw and I will explore the rest of the base, see if there is anything worth of interest or salvage," I said. Of course Hacksaw chose that moment to speak his 2 cents.

"Yes you are! Now lets go or I can toss you out the nearest air lock," I threatened my 'co-pilot'.

Hacksaw just let out a couple of clicks while bumping into me as he rolled towards a nearby door.

Parjir gave an apologetic shrug while tossing me my helmet. I immediately put it on and followed the R2 unit as he began hacking the lock on the door. I pulled out both my Charric pistols and waited for the door to open, never hurt to be prepared. Hacksaw made a couple quick tones signaling that the door was ready to open. I nodded and aimed both blasters at the door just as it opened. The next room was completely pitch black, most likely from the base being knocked around by the torpedoes from earlier. Hacksaw turned on his own flashlight and moved forward scanning the room. I slowly followed behind him, noticing different parts of the room. Occasionally Hacksaw's light would reveal a couple of crates or a few bunks, showing that we were in the pirate's quarters.

"Do you have any idea where the power is?" I asked. Hacksaw made one beep and moved in a different direction.

I waited till the astromech found where the power source was, the sound of a generator turning showed that he was on the right track. When the power was fully restored I was able to see everything. The room we were in was the quarters for the pirate crew. There was several standard military bunks with footlockers along with random different posters dotting the walls and the occasional blaster pistol or two lying on the floor.

"Hey Hacksaw, can you get a full scan of the base and see if theres anything useful?" I asked the Mandalorian droid. Hacksaw let out a long response of whistles and clips, explaining a separate room that also functioned as a living space.

"Hm most likely it was Savo's quarters, lead the way," I gestured to the R2 unit. Hacksaw nodded and wheeled his way out of the room and back into the hangar. While we were walking in the hangar Parjir called out to us.

"Hey Prowl! Me and the droids found the supplies we need for the freighter!" Parjir yelled. I glanced over to see the pit droids carrying boxes over to the Corellian freighter.

"Thats great! Hacksaw and I are gona check Savo's quarters and see if there is anything interesting!" I called back.

"Got it, we'll stay here and keep working on repairs. Maybe I'll go look around this place!" the Mandalorian replied.

I nodded and continued following Hacksaw. Eventually we made it to another door on the opposite side of the hangar. As soon as Hacksaw hacked into the door I moved inside with both blasters at the ready. Once again it was empty except this time the lights were on still. The room was simply furnished compared to most pirates lords and leaders. There was a simple bunk, a footlocker, a desk with a light and data pad on it, and a rack of a couple blaster rifles and pistols. I walked over and grabbed the data pad, surprised to find that it was unlocked. I opened the moat recent file to see a message had been received. The sender was the Adenn, shocked didn't even begin to describe how I was feeling.

I began reading the message earnestly, seeing if there was anything information that would be useful. Apparently the Adenn had contacted Savo trying to get the pirate and his crew to join the organization. It had been sent a few days ago and looked like Savo never sent a reply back. Unfortunately they didn't say anything about where there located, so basically back to square one. A comm channel started pinging through my helmet.

"Prowl, I found some construction drones in one of the containers," Parjir said.

"Construction drones? What would they need with those?" I asked while looking at Hacksaw.

"See if Hacksaw can scan the asteroid," Parjir suggested.

Hacksaw heard the Mandalorian and immediately plugged into a terminal in the wall. It took a couple of minutes before Hacksaw unplugged himself and fired of a long stream of tones and bloops.

"Hackaw says that the actual base doesn't fully extend through the entire asteroid and that there are several unfinished corridors deeper into the asteroid," I explained to my partner.

"Maybe they were trying to expand their base as well as their pirate crew," Parjir mentioned.

"Anyways were about ready to leave, ship is fully repaired and we managed to fix the shield that you broke earlier," Parjir said with a giggle.

"Oh I'm sorry I was just trying to keep you alive," I said while rolling my eyes.

"Oh just get over here," Parjir said while laughing.

A couple minutes later and I was standing next to Parjir. Both of our ships were ready to leave the pirate base. We loaded up into our ship with a couple of the blasters we found as well as any other salvageable gear and left the base. We collected all the pieces of the destroyed starships to collect the bounty. After that we exited the asteroid field and made the jump into hyperspace towards the nearest Republic bounty station. On the way over I explained to Parjir what I found on Savo's data pad. Parjir said not to give up and that eventually I'll find a solid lead on the organization who killed my brothers.

In all honesty it was kinda relieving that I don't have to keep my origins a secret from my partner anymore. Even better the fact that she was completely fine with me being a clone and didn't look at me differently. I wasn't blind or naive enough to believe that everyone looked at clones as equal to other people. I mean for force sakes even some Jedi Generals thought of us as nothing more than bantha fodder. At this point I could say that Parjir was a really good friend and someone I trust to have my back.

The bounty station was a small space station floating near the planet of Naboo. Parjir and I docked inside the station, I saw other bounty hunters coming in and out, dropping off live bounties or confirming dead ones. Parjir told me to wait by her ship while she brought over a Republic official. In the mean time Hacksaw and I along with Parjir's crew of pit droids opened the cargo ramp and brought out the star fighter salvage. Soon enough Parjir returned with the official, a human male in a grey Republic navy uniform.

"So what bounty are you here to collect?" The official asked.

"Kyber Savo and his crew of pirates," Parjir answered. The official's face was surprised to hear her answer.

"That criminal and his band of pirates had been causing the Republic trouble for a while now, congratulations to the both of you. Well first things first I'll need the names of the bounty hunter who took down Savo and his gang," the official stated.

"Parjir Cadera," my partner said.

I was kinda stuck at this point, I didn't feel comfortable stating my actual name. I don't know, some part of me was to make an actual alias to be on the safe side. I tried to come up with fake names quickly but I saw that Parjir and the official were staring at me waiting. I said the first word, a Mandalorian word, that came to mind.

"Dar'yaim," I finally answered. Both of the people around me looked at me surprised.

"No last name?" the representative asked.

"Never had one," I answered. The official nodded and began typing a few buttons on a data pad he had.

"Very well, both of your names have been recognized for completing the bounty. If you just swipe your credit chips into the data pad you'll receive your payment," the official explained.

Parjir and I both nodded and swiped our chips into the data pad. The data pad let out a ping and then gave us back our credit chips. The official nodded and then motioned for two workers to help collect the fighter salvage.

"Hey Prowl," Parjir said as we walked to our ships.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"When we get out of the station, link your ship to my freighter's airlock. That way I can 'educate' you on all the things that you need to know," Parjir said in a playful mood. I shrugged and nodded, not thinking much of what would happen.

A few minutes later we were back in our ships exiting the space station. I linked my fighter to the airlock and entered Parjir's ship. Parjir was waiting there with her arms crossed and a mischievous smile on her face.

'This can't be good'.

-Location: Orbit above Mandalore. Time: 0215-

Kill me. Just kill me, Parjir is not as nice as I thought she was. She is a mischievous, perverted gremlin who enjoyed watching me want nothing more than to get thrown into deep space. Those 'signals' and other 'necessary' details to maintain a proper relationship, it was all a lie. It was just weird details, too informative, details. Like kissing and flirting, all of this was just extremely weird. I wasn't bred for this! At the very least I could just hope that the worst of it was over.

"So do you have any questions? Or can we move onto the more...intimate parts of a relationship?" Parjir asked while grinning from ear to ear. Fuck my life.

"Na na I'm done goodbye," I said quickly while exiting the cockpit and practically running towards my ship.

I could hear Parjir's laughter from the cockpit as she didn't even try to chase after me. I made it to the air lock and got back in my ship, checking all the consoles before detaching from Parjir's freighter. Hacksaw made a couple of beeps asking what had happened.

"Don't want to talk about it," I responded.

"If you ever need more info on relationships, 'Dar'yaim', then I'm the girl you want to talk to," the gremlin's voice echoed through the cockpit followed by laughter. I grumbled in annoyance as both our ships flew back into atmosphere.

"Why did you choose that name anyway?" Parjir asked curiously.

"Its Mandalorian. I wanted to have a Mandalorian name as my alias while I'm working as a bounty hunter. Never thought about it before but the Separatist could have spies anywhere and everywhere, I'm still with the Republic army. Also I felt the definition was intimidating enough for anyone who understands Mandalorian," I explained as Keldabe began to appear on the surface.

"A hell or place you want to forget, that'll never catch on Prowl," Parjir said jokingly.

"Yeah we'll see about that," I replied while smiling.

Eventually we managed to make it to the outskirts of Keldabe. It was nighttime but the city was still as busy as ever. We managed to land outside Drax's shop, somehow the grizzled old vetaran knew we were coming because he was waiting outside. We both got out of ships along with Hacksaw and walked over to Drax.

"So how the job go? I noticed a more than just a 'scratch' on your ship Ad'ika," Drax stated while his face became grim. Parjir took off her helmet and scratched the side of her chin.

"Uh well..we made had run into a couple problems," Parjir mumbled. This answer didn't exactly make Drax's expression ease up.

"I think we should talk about it all inside, it is pretty late," I said trying to help out my friend.

"Hmph, fine lets go," Drax said while walking towards his shop.

"And I want every detail," He practically ordered as he continued walking. Both Parjir and I looked at each other, not exactly looking forward to a somewhat angry Mandalorian.

"I got a bad feeling about this," I said ominously.

* * *

**Deathz: thats all for today guys. Please follow, favorite, or leave a comment, constructive criticism is always welcomed. I do not own star wars or any of its characters or ideas. PA KOTE BAL IJAAT BE MAND'ALOR!**


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